Going to Extremes
by SouthernersCanWrestle
Summary: What if all the unappreciated former ECW stars were to band together? And what if a woman were to lead them? (Lita, RVD, Raven, Tommy Dreamer, Dudleyz, etc.)
1. Chapter 1

Oh, the things I do when I should be working on homework. Eh, what'll they do if I fail, kick me out of college? Wait...what's academic probation? Eh, who cares? On with the story!  
  
*no roster split in this story, and I say who's heel and who's face, and who's still in WWE...so ha! ; P  
  
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Spike lay at the center of the ring, desperately panting for breath. He could hear Test laughing at him as he walked back up the ramp. He knew the match he'd just thrown every ounce of his strength and effort into had meant nothing to the other man, it was just to prove a point to Steiner, he was just the jobber who'd been on the list for tonight. Of course, at least he'd actually gotten a match this week, and not even one for Sunday Night Heat either, but an actual RAW match. Sure, it was only a few minutes at the beginning of the show, but still, it's RAW. Maybe if he was lucky he'd be in a 6-man tag match with his brothers next week. Maybe.  
  
But for right now, he'd better just try to collect what was left of his bruised bones after that vicious slam and try to crawl out of this ring before Triple H or whoever came down to make some 20-minute self-glorifying speech and just threw him out of it to get him out of the way. As he struggled to his knees, vibrant, pulsing music began to fill the arena.  
  
"So f*ck your rules man. You step up, you'll go down fast. I've got to release all the sh*t that has made up my past..."  
  
Spike barely had time to wonder, "What's she doing here?" before Lita was standing in front of him with a microphone.  
  
"Spike," her voice had a peculiar stern gentleness to it, like a mother who has caught her child in some sort of trouble and only wants to help. "Spike, do you remember when we were in ECW? Do you remember what they called you?" She knelt down beside him as he continued to clutch his aching ribs. "Giant Killer...do you remember that? Because you were, you could do that. You took out men three times your size, men as huge as the Big Show, acid drop, 1-2-3, no one could beat you. Spike..." She looked hard into his eyes. "Where is the Giant Killer now?"  
  
Spike looked away from her fierce, searching glare. He did not want to think about those days, especially now, right after a defeat. He did not want to think about when the entire crowd would be chanting his name, and a good portion of them would even be dressed like him, or have made signs just for him. Those days were in the past, he was just a jobber now, just a body to fill up space in the back.  
  
Lita didn't seem to think so.  
  
"Spike, look at me." She leaned down and whispered in his ear, away from the microphone, where no one else could hear, "Join me. Come with me, and slay giants again. Slay them all."  
  
Spike looked up hesitantly into her hazel eyes. There was no look of teasing, no humor there. She seemed to actually be serious. He nodded, and stood shakily to his feet. Lita dropped the microphone and rolled from the ring, striding quickly and confidently back up the ramp with Spike trailing behind.  
  
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So? I know that the former ECW stars are not the big names now, but those are the guys I love, so that's who I'm writing the story about. And no, this isn't going to be a Spike/Lita romance (though that sounds kind of cute, doesn't it?). I just happened to start with him. So tell me what you think. Should I continue it? Let it shrivel up and die? I've pretty much already written the entire story in my head, I'm just working out the details now, so if I get enough reviews to continue, the updates will be posted in a rather timely fashion. Aargh, seriously! Just press the little purple button and let me know what you think! 


	2. Chapter 2

Woohoo! I got a review, and from another Dreamer/Raven fan! Freakin' awesome! Anyway, serious thanks to Tundra for the awesome ECW love. Now, on with the story!  
  
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A white-boy challenge. Was that even written down as a real match? Tommy thought about it, and realized he really didn't care. Either way, he'd just lost to Mark Henry (thanks to a bit of unfair distraction from Rodney Mack of course, but a loss was a loss either way). He lay on the mat, semi-conscious, dreaming of the days when Alice in Chains's "Man In A Box" would drive the fans insane. He'd be lucky if half the fans in this arena even knew who he was.  
  
Not unlike the week before, the sounds of Boy Hits Car had suddenly filled the arena. Tommy squeezed his eyes shut and pressed his face down into the mat. What did he care about this spontaneous roar from the fans? He knew it wasn't for him.  
  
He felt a nudge in his side. He opened his eyes to see that the culprit was a black combat boot. His vision trailed up the leg until he reached a pretty, if someone perturbed-looking, face surrounded by flaming red hair. Spike stood almost like an honor guard a little bit behind her and to the side.  
  
"Get up," Lita said, nudging him again. "Killer, here and I have an offer for you."  
  
"What's in it for me?" It was hard to sound tough with the spotlight blinding him and doing dual damage by simultaneously shining around Lita and making her look like some type of warring angel. She made a disgusted face at his pathetically insolent comment. She got down in his face.  
  
"How about never having to lie there listening to the referee's hand slap down three times while your washed-up ass gets pinned?" she whispered fiercely. She shook her head in disappointment while she continued to look at him. "I really admired you once. You were the Innovator of Violence, you were the man who got things done. The name Tommy Dreamer once meant something. All it means now is 'jobber'."  
  
Tommy sat up. "You made your point. What do you want me to do?"  
  
Lita smiled. "Nothing too difficult. Just trust me."  
  
Tommy suspected that might be a lot harder than she was making it sound.  
  
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Okay, I know these first few chapters have been kind of short, but I was just trying to get the set-up for the story. Trust me, the following chapters will get a lot more into the action and basic plot of the story. It's gonna start getting good, I swear it! 


	3. Chapter 3

Woohoo! I'm about to start actually getting into the story now! Thanks to kora, someone else dealing with ECW nostalgia, and also Dana. I know what you mean, I got the inspiration for this when I was playing my old Anarchy Rulz video game, and don't worry, your boy's going to make an appearance soon! Okay, so I'm going to be insanely busy this weekend when I go home from college, so the 4th chapter may not be up until Monday. I hope this will tide you over until then. Oh, and I decided to actually take current wrestling conditions into consideration, including who's been released, the roster split, etc., with the critical exception that SCSA is not back and Bischoff is the only GM. However, since that had no effect on the first two chapters, no damage done that I didn't tell you before, right? Okay...Onward!  
  
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Lita looked around the large lockerroom she and her compatriots had snagged backstage. She was rather proud of the progress they'd made in just a few weeks. Spike was standing in one corner with Bubba Ray and D-von, just listening in on their conversation, obviously happy to be once again on an equal level with his brothers instead of the weak link in the family chain. Lance Storm was repeating his famous Impact Players line, "That's from Calgary, Alberta, Canada," for a bemused-looking Stevie Richards, whom she'd just recently rescued from his psychotic owner Victoria. She'd been able to make him realize that getting knocked around by a hellcat woman was NOT the way to gain respect backstage.  
  
"Rescues," Lita thought. It was a rather appropriate term. This group was almost like a pack of greyhounds that had been abandoned when their racing days were over. But she had a sneaking suspicion that they weren't through running with the big dogs yet. She just stood their with a proud smile, watching her guys finally hold their heads up high, finally act like real wrestlers. The atmosphere in the room was charging her, this newfound energy from her old ECW friends. "New ECW friends," she corrected herself. They had decided to simply call their little stable "ECW", not only out of respect to their old company, but also because the fans still seemed to like chanting it, so why not? She felt a tap on her shoulder and turned around to see Tommy.  
  
His eyes were all business. "We ready to go?" She nodded and smiled at him, but he still seemed tense. "Relax," Lita laid a hand on his shoulder. "Deep breaths, Dreamer. This is gonna be fine. But you're right, the show starts in about 5 minutes, we need to get going." Lita yelled to get the attention of the rest of the lockerroom.  
  
"HEY! All right boys, it's time to make our move. Just remember before we go out there, show no fear, and show no mercy. THAT's ECW." She looked around the room into every pair of eyes. "Ready?" Everyone nodded, though some a little bit more slowly than others. She smiled a little, and nodded back. "All right, let's roll."  
  
The group of seven wrestlers made their way out the door and down the hall and a near-sprint, garnering quite a bit of surprise from some of the other wrestlers backstage who were a little stunned at seeing such a seemingly unrelated group all together. Ignoring the stares and questions, ECW rushed out through the curtains, down the ramp, and into the ring. At just that moment, RAW's theme music hit, and when the pyrotechnics went off, the lights came up to show the ring crowded with all of them, and every single man fully armed with typical ECW fare...A table set up by the Dudleyz with Bubba and D-von on either side and Spike perched with a smirk and arms crossed on top of it...Stevie Richards sitting backwards on a chair...Lance Storm with a baseball hat in one hand that he repeatedly tapped into the other...And Tommy leaning on his signature singapore cane.  
  
Even more portentous...Lita held a microphone in her hand.  
  
"Eric Bischoff, if you want to have a show tonight, you'd better get out here NOW!" She crossed her arms and leaned on the rope smugly.  
  
Evolution's music hit, and Lita leaned back and rolled her eyes. Triple H strode out self-importantly, Ric Flair and Randy Orton flanking him. He flipped his hair back behind his shoulders, and spoke into the microphone which seemed to be glued to his right hand.  
  
"Now, I'm glad you're having this precious little reunion out here, or whatever you want to call it..."  
  
Lita'd had enough. "Hunter, we're all sick of your freakin' 20-minute spiels. Maybe this show would be a lot better if there was less of you talking and more actual WRESTLING."  
  
Apparently the fans agreed, for the roar that came from the stands at that moment threatened to bring the building down on all of them. Lita waited for them to finish before continuing.  
  
"Now, if you want to get this show started, and want to actually wrestle and try to prove something of yourself, then get down here and show me something."  
  
Evolution looked to their leader, who nodded, and the three began to walk down to the ring.  
  
"Today, please!" Lita screamed into the microphone. Orton, Flair, and Helmsley just ignored and took their sweet time circling the ring, before all trying to rush in at once. Flair was met with a simultaneous chair shot to the face and a baseball bat taking his legs out from underneath him, thanks to Stevie and Lance. Orton went for an RKO on Spike but it turned out badly for him when the two bigger Dudleyz caught him mid-air and turned it into a 3D through the table. Tommy pulled Triple H's jacket up halfway over his head, pinning his arms, and simply beat him senseless with a singapore cane. As the bodies were being thrown out of the ring, Lita faced backstage and yelled into the mic, "Is that all you've got Bischoff? It's going to take a lot more than that to get rid of us. We are E-C-F*CKIN'-w!" The fans quickly took up the ECW chant, and the six men behind Lita stood there soaking up the glory they'd thought was long gone.  
  
Finally, the music cued up, "I'm baaack...and better than ever..." Bischoff walked slowly out to the top of the ramp and stood there, obviously just a little apprehensive and with no desire to come any closer. Lita smirked a little at his fear, and continued on with a falsely courteous tone.  
  
"Why Eric, how nice of you for joining us. I'm sorry we haven't had a chance to really talk since I came back from my injury, but I'm glad to see you here now. Unfortunately, we don't have any time for catching up or small talk, because I believe you want to have a show tonight, and I know that we have certain issues we'd like to lay on the table, so let's get down to business."  
  
Eric shrugged and make a sweeping "whatever-you-say" gesture.  
  
"Good, that's what I thought," Lita grinned at him. "We, hereby to be known as ECW, want the respect that we've earned and deserved. Better matches, more frequent matches, and, for the Lord's sake, bring back the Hardcore Title!" The fans exploded, and Lita had to again wait before continuing. "For starters, I think it's fair that I ask for a shot at the women's title. I know the women's division means nothing to you but T&A anyway, so why should you care? Also, how about giving my guys the Dudley Boyz here a shot at the tag team titles. Furthermore, put Spike in some real matches, for crying out loud, no more of this 2-on-1 crap, and throw him a shot at the Cruiserweight Title, too." Bischoff opened his mouth to protest, but Lita interrupted him. "I know we have no Cruiserweight Title on Raw, Eric, I'm quite aware, thank you, so how about you freakin' create one? You're the General Manager, you like throwing your weight around, it shouldn't be a problem for you. And furthermore, Lance and Stevie here have been working hard here a long time with no reward for it. So how about giving them a shot at the Intercontinental Title, or bring back the European Title or Hardcore Title or something? And most importantly..." Her eyes narrowed, and her tone became very serious. "How about having your little boy Triple H defend his World Heavyweight Title in a real match, on an even playing field, against a worthy competitor? How about against someone who just kicked his ass, just a few minutes ago? How about against the Innovator of Violence, Tommy Dreamer!"  
  
The screams came from the audience again, but Triple H grabbed Bischoff's microphone before the GM had a chance to answer. "No way! Not a chance! You talk about an even playing field...the 6 of you just took on the 3 of us! That's not fair! No!..."  
  
Lita raised her eyebrows. "Sweetheart, you've gotten this mixed up somehow. We're ECW. We don't have to fight fair."  
  
Triple H tried to protest again, but Bischoff snatched the mic back. "Fine, whatever you want, just please, get out of my ring?"  
  
Lita smiled, "You've got a deal, Eric." With a jerk of her head, she led the rest of ECW out of the ring. The Raw GM and Evolution stepped to the side out of their way as they walked up the ramp, though both groups kept a wary eye on each other.  
  
As they walked down the halls backstage back to their lockerroom, Stevie threw an arm around Lita's shoulders and whispered in her ear, "I can't believe that actually worked."  
  
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So, things are starting to shape up a little bit, huh? I promised there would be more plot involved. I can't wait to get started on Chapter 4. I wish I could write it all at once, but I figured it would be easier for people to read it in short installments than to take 2 hours (or whatever) out of their day and read the entire thing at once. Plus, I like getting a chance to respond to y'all's feedback. So...send me some feedback to respond to! Love ya', and take it easy; I hope you're having as much fun with this as I am. 


	4. Chapter 4

Woohoo! After a long weekend away from my beloved story, am I feeling fired up! First things first, thanks to all reviewers. To the-one-called-Drew, don't worry babe, I'm way ahead of you. Those thoughts had already crossed my mind. To Amber, see what I just wrote to Drew. To Dana, I know, this is a big challenge for me, because I want to bring honor to the memory of ECW. And I've actually read what you've written of Taking Everything Away, and I think it's awesome. Also, if you love Sabu, there's a funny little anecdote about him in the Hardy Boyz book. But yeah, he's the homicidal, suicidal, genocidal, freakin' man! To T-BOY DUDLEY, I freakin' love your sh*t. A good review from you is a true honor, and I'm sure you'll see at least one of your requests come to pass. To Samantha, she does, doesn't she? Probably because Lita is the freakin' coolest chick to ever live. Anyway, more story time!  
  
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Lita was practically skipping as she walked backstage. Everything last week had gone so perfectly to plan, and she'd just gotten off the phone with Justin Credible, who would soon be making his jump back from NWA. She was sure Lance would be thrilled to have his old Impact Players teammate back. As long as he wasn't expecting her to bring in Dawn Marie.  
  
Her whistling carried eerily in the empty hallways, but she was far too happy to feel apprehensive. She often got to the shows a little bit earlier than everyone, (had to plan for the night ahead and make sure everything would go smoothly for her boys), and she saw nothing ominous in the dark corridors. Her comfort in these lonely arenas was about to be permanently disrupted.  
  
She didn't even sense her attacker's presence until she was slammed from behind into the concrete wall. She let out an irritated, but not yet frightened moan as her forehead bounced into the hard surface. "What the hel-?"  
  
She was whipped around to find herself face-to-face with Randy Orton. This situation was going from bad to worse. She knew the stuck-up little rookie never strayed far from his mentors, and he did absolutely nothing without "the Game"'s approval. Which meant that the other two members of Evolution were close, and had something up their sleeves. Sh*t. ECW was tight, but they hadn't quite mastered the pack mentality yet. Too many loners and heroes in one group. She'd have to discuss the issue at tonight's meeting.  
  
"What do you want kid?" She tried to sound tough, but was finding it hard with her arms pinned beside her head by, all cockiness aside, a very strong young man. He'd even had the foresight (or perhaps Triple H had warned him) to pin her legs with his own, which meant she wouldn't be able to knee him in the crotch. Quite a disappointment.  
  
He smirked at her, all smugness and arrogance. "Does this little punk actually think he's HOT?" Lita wondered, and found herself trying to simultaneously stifle both a laugh and a gag.  
  
"The Champ wanted me to send you a message." Orton's smirk widened. "Any beast can be killed if you cut off its head or cut out its heart. That's what's going to happen to your little playgroup if you don't back off. Think about it. Oh, and one more thing..." He leaned forward and ran his tongue up her neck, a la Evolution's entrance video. She couldn't suppress her shudder of fear. Smirking more broadly than ever, Orton released her and walked off.  
  
Lita rushed into the ECW lockerroom and slammed the door shut behind her. She collapsed shaking onto a bench. She was upset from the incident that had just occurred, but being upset about it only made her angrier, and the anger made her more aware of her fear, and before she knew it, she was huddled in on herself with tears running down her face. Why had she taken this on? Why had she thought that she, just a woman, could lead a team of used-up, past-their-prime, men to the top of the wrestling industry? Why had she dare crossed, and so blithely at that, one of the most dangerous players in the business? Why-?  
  
She immediately cringed back when a hand touched hers. "Hey Lita, are you okay?"  
  
Lita quickly wiped her eyes and turned to face the intruder. "Yeah, Rob, I'm fine. What's up?"  
  
He looked at her disbelievingly. "Lita, you're shaking."  
  
"Yeah, well, it's cold in here." The excuse sounded lame to even her as soon as it left her mouth.  
  
RVD shook his head sadly. "No, it's not." Lita only shrugged, her face turned away from him and hidden with her long flaming hair. "What's wrong? Talk to me...Amy..."  
  
"That's not my name anymore; no one calls me that." She lifted her head and looked at him, and he noticed how bloodshot her eyes were. "Anyway, how'd you get here? What did you want?"  
  
"Well, um," Rob felt put on the spot, and suddenly nervous. It was like being in school again when the teacher called on you for an answer and you hadn't read the chapter or even attempted the homework. Funny, how the pretty little diva in front of him could have that effect on grown men. "Makes sense that she's the leader now," he thought, which reminded him of his purpose in seeking her out in the first place.  
  
"Actually, I've been looking to talk to you since last week," he confessed.  
  
"Really?" Lita's left eyebrow shot up, and Rob continued on, stuttering.  
  
"Yeah, well, you see, I was wondering..." He tried to meet her intense, questioning gaze, backed down, and settled for staring at his hands. "Since you're getting the old ECW group back together, why didn't you come to me? I mean, I understand, you know, if you don't want me to be in it, that's cool, but I was just wondering if it'd be okay with you if I was?"  
  
Lita threw back her head and laughed, and Rob's heart sank. "Nevermind..." he muttered, and moved to get up.  
  
"No, no, no," Lita stopped him with a hand on his leg and tears of laughter now squeezed out of her eyes. "I didn't ask you because I thought you'd never go for it. Out of all us, you've definitely made the most of yourself. Most of the rest of the guys had turned into jobbers, but you'd been fairly successful. I didn't think you needed us."  
  
"Are you crazy?" Rob asked her, laughing a little himself. "If something doesn't change, I'm going to be stuck at midcard or in tag matches my entire life. Besides, how often do they have hardcore matches anymore? There isn't even a belt for it! No, I'm with you, every step of the way. That is...if you want me."  
  
Lita nodded. "Under one condition."  
  
"Anything."  
  
"Don't tell the boys what happened here tonight?" Her eyes were soft and pleading, and Rob figured he would have agreed to just about anything she asked at that moment.  
  
"You've got it. But...what exactly did happen?"  
  
She sighed, a gentle motion that made her look entirely too fragile for Rob's liking. "All right, but you promised not to tell. Orton cornered me..."  
  
"Did he hurt you?" Rob interrupted, anger hardening his voice.  
  
"No, he just threatened me. I'm fine, but he did scare me a little."  
  
"What did he say?"  
  
"Triple H just wants us to back off from the title. Of course, there's no way that's happening, so I guess what he said really doesn't matter, now does it?"  
  
Her spirit made Rob smile. "You're the boss...you tell me if it matters or not."  
  
"It doesn't."  
  
"All right then," he grinned. "I guess we'll get down to business when the rest of the crew gets here, then?"  
  
"Absolutely. If anything, I'm more ready for tonight than I even was before."  
  
"That's right," Rob agreed. "I know someone who has herself a women's title to win."  
  
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So, more stuff's happening, stories develop around conflict, so now we have a bit of one going. Anyway, I'm having fun with this, I hope you are too, but I'll never know unless you review! 


	5. Chapter 5

Aaah! I'm going to see RAW live when it comes to North Carolina in about a month! My chick is back, too! This will be only my second RAW, and my third show, so I'm so stoked. I'll be sure to make a sign, though I don't know what yet, but I'll tell y'all when I've decided, so look for me! Though, nothing can beat the sign I came up with last time. I got my dad (a big buff guy) to hold up a sign that said, "Goldust, I'm Pregnant!" We got the most laughs with that sucker. Anyway, down to business. Thanks to Amber for her review, do not worry, cool characters will not be forgotten. To Tundra, don't worry, this is ECW, violence shall be glorified and gratuitous. To Funky in Fishnets, you have the freakin' coolest name. It makes me laugh every time I heard it. Plus, it reminds me of the rockin' band (soon to break up) Five Iron Frenzy. Anyway, sit down on the magic carpet kids, and I'll tell you a story...  
  
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The rest of the guys started to file in pretty soon; first Lance, punctual as always, then Tommy, again serious and ready to work. He glanced at RVD and sent Lita a questioning look, but said nothing and sat down. The Dudleyz snuck in next, Bubba picked her up from behind in a huge bear hug and Lita squeaked in surprise. She playfully, but forcefully punched his shoulder and he set her down and grinned at her before the half-brothers took their usual place in the back corner. Stevie sauntered in a few minutes late, a goofy, bashful grin on his face as he glanced at the clock and shrugged. Lita tried to glare at him, found it simply wasn't working, shrugged herself, and called the meeting to order.  
  
"As you guys can see, Rob's with us now. As far as I'm concerned, this is all improvement, strength in numbers. However, the strength is misdirected and pointless if we're not united on this. So, if any of you has a problem with Rob being here, you'd better say something now and we'll deal with it."  
  
Spike called from the back, "Hey Li, I was just wondering something."  
  
Lita's eyes darted to him in surprise. She certainly didn't think the sweetie of the group would have an issue with Rob's joining. Spike certainly wasn't the jealous type. "Yeah, Killer?"  
  
"I was just wondering, why now?"  
  
Lita looked to Rob. "Why don't you take this one?"  
  
RVD stood to his feet, a little nervous at addressing the full lockerroom. "Lita didn't ask me to join...I asked if I could. I saw what y'all had going here, and I wanted to be a part of it."  
  
The room felt eternally quiet. Finally, Tommy spoke. "All right then. So Li, anything else you want to cover tonight?"  
  
She beamed at him, thankful for his breaking the silence, and Tommy ducked his head and blushed a little. "Yeah, actually. It goes back to the strength in numbers thing I was talking about. I want you to meet our *other* newest member."  
  
Justin Credible walked through the door.  
  
"OH MAN!" Lance screamed, and jumped over to grab his former teammate in a hug. Everyone was surprised to see such a reaction from the normally stoic wrestler. The two men jumped around like teen girls reunited on the first day of the school year.  
  
Lita ignored them, having expected something like this. "Well, if that's it, then I advise you all to go get ready for your matches tonight. I have a title match coming up, so I really need to prepare. I'll catch up with y'all after the show, and remember, I want everyone watching each other's backs tonight. We've made an impact, and people are gonna come gunning for us. So be careful out there. Bye guys."  
  
RVD lingered behind as everyone else left. "You should take some of your own advice."  
  
Lita sighed. "I've got nothing to worry about. Evolution isn't going to attack me in the middle of the ring during a women's match."  
  
"How can you be so sure?"  
  
Lita smiled ruefully. "Because they're cowards, and they know they wouldn't make it out of the building without you boys ripping them apart. So if, they come for me, which I don't think they will, Triple H is all talk anyway, it'll be backstage, in the parking lot, somewhere vermin like them can hide in the shadows. But don't worry, I'll be ready."  
  
She grinned up at him. "Besides, I've got all the back-up I need. So go on and get out of here so I can get ready for my match, okay?"  
  
"Let me come down to the ring with you tonight."  
  
"Hey, you worry about Kane. That's a big enough problem. Focus on your match, and we'll all get together after the show, okay? Now go, run along."  
  
RVD patted her shoulder hesitantly and walked out. Lita locked the door behind him and changed clothes, stretched, and watched the first part of the show on the room's monitor. Before she knew it, a stagehand was knocking on her door, telling her she was on next. Popping her shoulders one more time, she jogged out the door and down the hall to the guerrilla position.  
  
It was pure energy when her music hit. She half-sprinted/half-headbanged down to the ring with the drumbeat pulsing up through the floor and through her, fueling her, along with the intermingled chants of "Lita!" and "ECW!" She posed for the crowd, and stood center ring, waiting for her opponent.  
  
Molly Holly's music started, but the scowling diva was not unaccompanied as she walked down the ring. Eric Bischoff, a huge smile on his face, kept pace beside her.  
  
He climbed into the ring with a microphone in hand, and Molly stood at his side.  
  
"Lita dearest, I just wanted you to know, that I was going to allow managers at this Women's Championship Title match. Unfortunately, all of your little boyfriends are backstage getting ready for matches of their own, matches, may I add, they wouldn't even be in tonight if it weren't for your interference. So it looks like it's just you, me, and Molly."  
  
Lita jerked the microphone from his hand. "Actually Eric, I DO have a manager for tonight, and you could never measure up to the man he is. I'd hoped to introduce him later, but desperate times call for desperate measures, so..."  
  
"Who's that jumpin' out the sky, R-E-Y, Mysterio, here we go..."  
  
The luchador appeared to spring from nowhere up to the top of the ramp, and while he had the two heels distracted, Lita attacked Molly and the bell rang, signalling the beginning of the match. Eric was screaming, "You're supposed to be on Smackdown! You can't be here!" until Rey dragged him out of the ring and did a senton flip onto him from the apron. He took care of Bischoff on the outside while Lita decimated Molly in the ring. A twist of fate and a moonsault later, it was over, and Lita was standing with the belt in the middle of the squared circle while both Charles Robinson and Rey Mysterio, Jr. raised her arms in victory.  
  
"Gracias, Rey," she whispered in his ear.  
  
"De nada, mamacita. Estaba divertido para golpear Bischoff."  
  
"Lo creo," Lita laughed.  
  
They ran with their arms around each other backstage, and Lita soon found herself being swamped with hugs from all sides. "Okay, okay!" she gasped. "The Women's Champion can't breathe!"  
  
Someone sprayed champagne into the air, and they were all soon covered in sticky suds. "Guys, a lot of you still have matches!" Lita admonished them. "Go get ready; we'll celebrate after!"  
  
"Dancing!" someone shouted. Lita had a guess that it was Stevie. Soon all the guys had taken up the chant. "Dancing! Dancing!"  
  
"Fine, we'll go dancing!" Lita agreed. "You know that I absolutely suck at it, but if it will get you boys to go on and get ready for your matches, then fine, we'll go dancing after the show."  
  
Stevie grabbed her and started spinning her around in a waltz. Lita pushed him away, laughing harder than ever. "AFTER the show! I swear, it's impossible babysitting all you kids at once."  
  
The boys made their way off, but the Dudleyz stayed close.  
  
"What is it Killer?"  
  
"I thought we might walk you back to your lockerroom."  
  
"Thanks, Spike," Lita smiled. "But I think I remembered where I left it."  
  
"Very funny. No, we just figured it might be a little safer."  
  
"Why is that?"  
  
He nodded toward something over her left shoulder. She turned to see Triple H standing arms crossed in his trademark expensive suit and sunglasses on inside, watching the festivities with a smug expression.  
  
"Oh yeah," Lita murmured.  
  
"What was that?" Spike asked. "Has he been giving you trouble?" Bubba questioned. "Oh, HELL no," D-von growled and it took both of his brothers and Lita to hold him back.  
  
"No guys, look, I'm fine, okay? You know Evolution; they're just always running their mouths. But if it'll make you feel better, then you can walk me back to the room. I'll even lock the door and not open it until everyone comes to meet after the show, fair enough?"  
  
"Fine," Bubba muttered. "Yeah, I guess that's fair," D-von agreed. Spike nodded.  
  
They set off for the lockerroom, Lita leading with Bubba and D-von flanking either side, and Spike bringing up the rear. As they walked off, he simply couldn't resist turning around to flip Triple H the bird before they turned a corner out of sight.  
  
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*Okay, so I realize not all of you speak Spanish. I just happen to be double-majoring in that (along with Accounting, but who wants to read about wrestlers doing their taxes?), so I wanted to use it. Anyway, I'll give you a translation here.  
  
"Gracias, Rey." = "Thank you, Rey." Pretty simple.  
  
"De nada, mamacita." = "It was nothing, mommy." "Mamacita" is similar to calling someone "babe" or "honey".  
  
"Estaba divertido para golpear Bischoff." = "It was fun beating up Bischoff."  
  
"Lo creo." = "I believe it."  
  
Anyway, there's your lesson for today! Another lesson: I love reviews! 


	6. Chapter 6

I went ahead and wrote this chapter because I knew it would be difficult and very not fun. So, that's why I haven't had a chance to respond to many new reviews on this one. My apologies. However, to Amber, well I should be, it's one of my majors! I'm in my fifth year of it right now, so I've had some practice. To the-one-called-Drew, thanks for the review, and no, it wasn't stupid to forget Rey-Rey was in ECW. Nearly everyone was at some point, including Chris Jericho, Dean Malenko, Chris Benoit, and even Steve Austin. Anyway, here's the next chapter. All I can say is..don't hate me for it. Please?  
  
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Lita was grateful for the darkness of the club. She never felt embarrassed rocking out, but she had trouble feeling cool trying to move smoothly to the hip-hop and rap rhythms pulsing through the dance floor. Fortunately, the crowd surrounding her paid no attention to her awkwardness as she took turns dancing with all the guys. It was particularly relaxing to dance with Rob; he had an animal grace that made it easier for her to follow his lead. Rey was the same way, but she couldn't get over the fact that she was towering over his dance partner. Tommy managed to be both stiff and spastic, Lance did the white man's overbite, Justin didn't see why she was embarrassed when he did the cabbage patch, and Stevie, for whatever odd reason, was trying to tango with her to "Hot in Herre." "Yes," Lita thought, "I can DEFINITELY see why they keep it so dark in these clubs."  
  
Stevie went back to the bar for ANOTHER drink ("May explain the tango," Lita thought), and Lita felt herself pulled from behind toward yet ANOTHER dance partner. His large arms wrapped around her waist, and he ground against her from behind. Between the dark and having her back to him, Lita couldn't guess the identity of the stranger. She mentally shrugged and swayed in motion with her partner. She jerked, startled, when she felt him nuzzling her neck, his lips grazing the sensitive skin around the collarbone. Lita struggled, and the man's grip tightened.  
  
"You don't want me to stop, do you?"  
  
Lita felt tears stinging the corners of her eyes and blinked them back. "Leave me alone, Hunter."  
  
"No, Lita, you and your little friends better leave ME alone."  
  
He released her violently, almost flinging her forward, and she rubbed the bruising areas where he had clenched her wrists. She turned to see the crowd surrounding him, him disappearing from sight. "Mind games," she tried to reassure herself. "Telling the guys would only get them riled up and help him achieve his purpose." Wiping her eyes, she put a neutral expression on her face and headed back to her friends at the bar.  
  
She arrived to hear Tommy and Justin discussing the Dudleyz' odd absence from their little party.  
  
"You seen the other guys?" Tommy asked.  
  
"Come on, you know them. They're in trouble somewhere. I wouldn't worry about it," Justin replied.  
  
Just then, D-von and Bubba walked up. Lita felt trepidation growing inside her. "Where's Killer?"  
  
The two older brothers looked at each other. "We thought he was with you," D-von answered.  
  
"No, no," Lita shook her head. "I mean, we thought he left the arena after his match..." Bubba was saying.  
  
"No, no, NO!" Lita screamed. A few people sitting farther down the bar and the bartender turned to look at her, but the club was otherwise so loud that her cry went unnoticed beyond their little circle. "Come on," she said, trying to gain control. "We need to go find him, NOW."  
  
"Li, what's going on?" Suddenly, Rob was behind her, his hand on her back. "Did something happen?" he whispered. "Was it Evolution again?"  
  
She felt a sob rising up in her throat, and only nodded. "Really?" he asked, and she nodded again, her face in her hands. "Okay, you heard the boss," Rob said loudly. "Let's get out of here and go find Spike before he gets himself into too much trouble on his own."  
  
Everyone was standing there looking at him. "Let's GO!" he said sharply, and the guys all jumped to their feet and headed for the door.  
  
As they were going towards the cars, Lance saw him first. "Oh sh*t..."  
  
Tommy tried to get in front of Lita and block her from the sight, but he didn't move fast enough. Upon seeing, she screamed in grief and anger.  
  
Spike was in a bloody heap tied down on top of the hood of Lita's rental Explorer. He was half-conscious, and tried to lift his head at the sound of her voice. She sprinted to him, passing even Bubba and D-von in their race to check on him.  
  
"Killer?" she whispered, leaning close to the battered remnants of his face. "Spike?" she sobbed, reaching out with a trembling hand to smooth the blood-soaked hair back from his forehead, barely touching him in fear of aggravating his injuries.  
  
D-von had his head in his arms on the hood of the SUV, crying uncontrollably. Bubba was in a state of shock, but was at least functional, going ahead and untying the rope that held his little brother on top of the car. He soon had him untied and cradled his limp form against his chest.  
  
Lita gladly accepted the arm D-von wrapped around her shoulders, leaning into him as their tears fell and streamed together. In the midst of everything, however, she maintained her role as leader.  
  
"In your cars. We're getting him to a hospital. Quick."  
  
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Yes, I'm horrible, I know. And believe me, it gets worse before it gets better. However, this is all crucial to plot development. I'm sorry, I can't help what my twisted, LSD-addicted, David Bowie-listening muses make me write. They're pretty much as screwed up as I am, or maybe they're screwed up BECAUSE I am, or maybe I'm screwed up because I have multiple muses...anyway...I don't know. However, I'm sorry for this disturbing chapter (or maybe it's just disturbing to me because of my freakishly overactive imagination...I swear I can see all this stuff in my head). Anyway, I promise the next chapter will be a lot lighter. However, I still love reviews either way, even if to tell me that you hated it. Just please, LET ME KNOW! 


	7. Chapter 7

I'm popping out these babies like a woman who doesn't realize her birth control pills got switched with ibuprofen.. Sorry, but I can't resist posting chapters so frequently. I know it must be annoying, but I'm sorry, I can't help it. I've got this story running in my head and all these ideas and I know this thing is gonna end up being WAY longer than I'd originally planned. Anyway, thanks for reviewing, I don't really have anything specific to address here. Oh, I must say, not everyone who was in ECW and went to WWE will be featured. Sorry, but that would just make it too complicated and all the ends of the plot would be going haywire. However, I am trying to feature some of the favorites. Anyway, here's your next chapter!  
  
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Lita's hair streamed behind her as she paced the waiting room. The high heels she'd worn to go dancing in had long been abandoned and her bare feet made no sound on the tile. She was finding her short little dress annoying as well, but she couldn't very well take that off. The guys could ignore her lack of shoes.  
  
Bubba and D-von were sitting on one of the couches, and everyone else had just sort of crashed down wherever. D-von was still crying silently, while Bubba just seemed numb. After a long hour, the doctor finally walked out.  
  
She was immediately surrounded by nine wrestlers. "Please, PLEASE!" she begged. "Just give me a moment and I'll give you a detailed account of how he is."  
  
The pack reluctantly backed off. "Thank you," Dr. Carlin said, a little shaken. "Now, Spike is in stable condition. Once we had him cleaned up, we realized his injuries were nowhere near as bad as they appeared. He had several lacerations around his scalp and upper arms, areas that bleed heavily, but none of the cuts were very deep. Whoever did this obviously knew what they were doing and knew how to make him appear a lot worse off."  
  
"However, he does have some head trauma, and a minor concussion, but the bruises will begin to fade in a few days and he'll have no permanent damage. Anyway," she smiled a little wryly. "He's been sure to inform me several times that he's dealt with worse injuries in the past and that he's fine and can go back to work immediately."  
  
"He's talking?"  
  
"Can we see him?"  
  
"When can he come home?"  
  
"People!" Dr. Carlin interrupted. "I'm sorry, but it's after visiting hours, and we can only let in close relatives."  
  
Lita pushed forward. "These are his brothers," she said, and Dr. Carlin sent an odd look at D-von. "Half-brothers," she corrected. "So we should be allowed in."  
  
"We?" Dr. Carlin looked at her. "I'm sorry, I didn't hear your relation to the patient."  
  
"I'm his girlfriend," Lita lied, ignoring Stevie's giggle and missing the twinges of jealousy that flashed across some of the other guys' faces.  
  
"Fine," the doctor sighed. "I'll allow it. But you all have 10 minutes."  
  
The trio quickly scurried past her into the room.  
  
Bubba's lack of emotion disappeared as soon as he saw his little brother, and he immediately broke down into tears. D-von was crying harder than ever.  
  
"I'm sorry for all those times we put you through a table..."  
  
"Or called you a runt..."  
  
"Or half-pint..."  
  
"Or 3D-d you into a car..."  
  
"Or..."  
  
"Okay, okay, please stop apologizing!" Spike begged. "I was actually happy to see you before you brought all that up."  
  
He caught sight of Lita standing behind his brothers. "Hey Li, how's it going?"  
  
"How's it going?" she stormed over to him. "Don't you ever scare me like that again!" Noticing Dr. Carlin watching through the door, she leaned down in Spike's ear and whispered, "Oh, I lied and said I was your girlfriend so that I could come visit you, so..." She gave him a quick peck on the lips. "Don't you dare think anything of it."  
  
Spike grinned cockily. "Maybe I should write Triple H and his buddies a thank-you letter for beating the crap out of me."  
  
"So it was them, huh?" Lita asked softly.  
  
"Yeah, well, I guess I should have seen it coming," Spike shrugged.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Eh, I kinda flipped Triple H off when he was doing his stalker-thing with you. I guess he took it a lot more seriously than I expected."  
  
"Spike..." she rolled her eyes. "I don't think you're taking any of this seriously enough. Evolution's made it obvious that they're furious Tommy's getting a shot at the title, and they'll do anything to get back at ECW. I don't want anyone walking around by themselves anymore or taking any unnecessary chances, but especially you. You're already injured, and we need you as part of the team. So no more dumb risks, okay?"  
  
Dr. Carlin opened the door. "Time's up."  
  
Bubba and D-von hugged their littlest brother by, drying their eyes. Lita leaned down and kissed her forehead. "'Night, Killer."  
  
"Later babe," he winked at her.  
  
She returned the wink and left the room, running straight into Bubba and D-von who were waiting for her outside the door.  
  
"What was that all about?"  
  
"I had to lie and say I was Killer's girlfriend, big deal."  
  
"No, what was that about, 'Evolution's made it obvious,'? Has something already happened that you didn't tell us about?"  
  
"Someone been threatening you, Li?" Bubba added.  
  
"Look, it's been nothing serious until now. All mind games. I didn't want to tell y'all and get you unfocused and upset; that's exactly what Triple H wants. Besides, I thought they were just targetting me."  
  
"Just targetting you? You make it sound like it's not a big deal!" D-von exclaimed. "If someone messes with you, he gets all of us. We're in this together, or does that somehow not apply to you since you're the leader?"  
  
"Besides, I think he is really targetting you," Bubba added. "Spike was on top of your car, and everyone knows how protective you feel over him. He was the first one to join you in the first place. So yeah, Li, I think you're the one Evolution's after. And if that's the case, you can't fight them on your own."  
  
"Any beast can be killed if you cut off its head or cut out its heart..." Lita thought. "That's what Orton meant," she whispered. "He meant me. That's how they plan to do it, by taking out me."  
  
"What Orton meant? Lita, what aren't you telling us?" Lita jumped, not realizing she'd been overheard.  
  
"Look guys, it's nothing. It doesn't matter now. If we stick together we'll be fine. Y'all just focus on each other and Spike right now. I'll get everyone else partnered up so that we never have anyone alone."  
  
The brothers exchanged looks, but didn't press the matter further. "Fine. But we expect to be filled in on what's happening once Spike is better," Bubba said before they left.  
  
Lita looked to see RVD leaning against the wall a little ways down, having apparently listened to the whole thing. The irritation was apparent in her voice. "What?"  
  
"You really need to tell everyone what's happened."  
  
"You really need to not try and tell me what to do. I'm a grown woman; I can take care of myself."  
  
"Like Spike thought he could take care of himself tonight?" Lita's lower lip trembled, and she looked away.  
  
"I'm sorry...I didn't mean it like that...It's not your fault..." He reached out for her shoulder, and she jerked away.  
  
"Don't touch me," she whispered bitterly, and turned on her heel and fled.  
  
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Aww...poor Rob. Things will get better eventually, I promise. Until then...review? 


	8. Chapter 8

Aaah...I have long awaited writing this chapter. It's been playing in my head for days now, and I can finally fit it into the story. Anyway, to those of you who've been reviewing, thank you so much. I can't keep responding to every single review individually because it's gotten a little too voluminous. However, I'll do what I can. To Amber, thanks for the support and enthusiasm. To Funky in Fishnets, I'll be trying to include more description of the characters' clothing, and thanks for the positive response to the Dudley Boyz hospital room scene, I had a lot of fun writing it and hoped it would get a few laughs. To Samantha, I'm glad you took the time to read this fic even though you never got a chance to watch ECW. May I recommend that you rent some of their old ppv videos sometime? They're really a treat; never again will we be fortunate enough to witness wrestling quite like that. Anyway, to everyone else who's been reading, again, thank you. I write these things just to get away from the rest of my day for a while and it means so much to know that other people are enjoying it. :tear: Anyway, enough sappiness from me, let's get on with the story!  
  
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Lita slammed the door to her hotel room and plopped down on the bed, wiping furiously at the tears that refused to stop streaming from her eyes. What Rob had said really cut her...Maybe she wasn't ready to lead this team. How'd she get herself into this? It'd been a social project at first; now someone she cared deeply about was in the hospital. Sure, he was fine, but...it could have been a lot worse.  
  
"Triple H must be happy his plan's working so well," Lita thought, sniffling.  
  
A knock sounded on her door. She kept silent, hoping whoever was now soliciting her attention would just give up and go away.  
  
"Lita, I know you're in there mami."  
  
"Leave me alone, Rey."  
  
"Not a chance, querida."  
  
"I said go away!" she yelled, breaking into sobs again.  
  
Rey's voice was soft. "I know you don't mean that. Come on, I know you better and I've known you longer than anyone here. And I know mi amigita that I met in Mexico would never turn away her favorite luchador. Now let me in."  
  
Lita let him in, giggling through her tears. "You always appeal to my better nature."  
  
"And sometimes you make me forget you even have a better nature," Rey joked. "Now tell me what's going on. And tell me everything."  
  
"Evolution...They've been threatening me, trailing me, playing mind games...The first week after ECW made our debut on RAW, Orton cornered me in a back hallway before the show. He said Triple H had a message, something about any beast will die if you cut off its head or cut out its heart. I didn't understand then, but I do now. They meant me. I guess technically I'm the head of this..."  
  
"And I can assure you you're the heart, too," Rey told her. "None of us would have signed up for this if it hadn't been you who asked."  
  
Lita started to protest, but Rey cut her off.  
  
"It's true. And what you're saying makes sense. Evolution tried to single you out first. When you couldn't be intimidated, they started taking out people you obviously care about. They knew it would hurt you if they hurt Spike since you're so protective over him and he's so loyal to you."  
  
"And what if they came for you next?" Lita whispered. "Or Tommy, or Stevie, or any of you." She shook her head fiercely. "I won't allow it. I may have started out as a leader, but now I'm just a liability. I've put you all in danger because of my pride. I demanded too much, I was too condescending, too arrogant. And it's everyone else they'll make pay." A quizzical look settled on her face. "Funny, though, that Triple H didn't try to take out Tommy first, since he's the one who has the title shot against him."  
  
"You really think this has anything to do with the title shot?" Rey questioned. "Triple H is arrogant; he won't deign to see Tommy as a threat. No, mamacita, he's after you. You bruised his ego when you were out there in the ring, making demands, getting him and his little flunkies beat up. He may have even been able to deal with it too, except you're a woman, and that made it ten times worse for him."  
  
"I'm going to walk away then," she told him resolutely. "I'll have someone else take over and I'll leave you alone. That way, I'll be the only one having to pay for my actions."  
  
"Not a chance, hermosa," Rey grinned at her. "You're stuck with us. We'd never let you leave. Come here," he folded his arms around her and lay her head on his chest, stroking her hair. "You expect us to trust you and follow you, but you've gotta trust us. These guys would do anything for you, and you can't be afraid of that. Now tell me, how do you feel right now with me holding you?"  
  
"Part of me feels trapped, nervous, flightful," Lita admitted. "But the other part feels safe, protected."  
  
"Trust that part," Rey whispered. "Shut down the other."  
  
Lita nodded and closed her eyes, snuggling closer to her old friend. He continued to stroke her hair soothingly. "Do you trust me, mamacita?" he whispered.  
  
She nodded, a content smile spreading across her tear-streaked face.  
  
"Lie down."  
  
She sat up and looked at him, her eyes wide.  
  
"Trust me. That's all I'm asking."  
  
She laid back on the bed slowly, keeping her eyes on him the entire time.  
  
"Close your eyes."  
  
She did as she was told, her body rigid with tension.  
  
"Tell me how you feel."  
  
"Vulnerable," she whispered through gritted teeth. "Open to attack."  
  
"It's still just me here, Li. It's just me, Rey-Rey." She felt the bed shift as she lowered himself over her, if she tried even a little to sit up, they'd be touching, and her eyes squeezed more tightly shut. "Trust me," he whispered again, his voice soft against her ear. She relaxed a little, but her muscles were still clenched stiff and she knew she'd be sore for it later.  
  
She felt something, suddenly, or thought she felt something high on her cheekbone. It was a light, feathery, barely-there touch, and it took her a while to realize what it was. Butterfly kisses, moving gently all over her face. Rey's long eyeslashes touching her in the softest way possible.  
  
She relaxed, her breathing became more even, and she drifted off into that middle ground right before sleep comes. Then, the kisses stopped, and she felt the bed shift again as Rey got away from over her and stood up on the floor. She fluttered her eyes open at him.  
  
"What was that about?"  
  
He looked away from her. "No se que estaba pensando..."  
  
"Dammit, Rey, talk to me."  
  
His breathing was heavy; his chest rose and fell dramatically. Small beads of perspiration dotted his brow. "You had to trust me. And I had to show you that I wouldn't take advantage of that trust. Even...even if I wanted to."  
  
He laughed shortly. "I guess I'm having to trust you, trust our friendship to say this, but, I wanted so badly to touch you...to kiss you...but," he shrugged. "You were vulnerable, and you were hurting, and it wouldn't have been right for me to use that. Even if you had kissed me back, even if you had responded, you would have hated me for it later."  
  
She shook her head in confusion. "I could never hate you, Rey."  
  
"Maybe not, but you could resent me. Or resent what we did together if we weren't careful. And I couldn't stand for you to ever regret a second we spend together. I've seen the way he looks at you..."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Of course you wouldn't pick up on it. All the guys look at you like that to some extent, so you probably assume it's just typical male behavior. But, I've seen the way he looks at you...and I see the way you look back at him. And you certainly don't look at all of us like that. And if you'll trust, if you'll be open, I think you two can be very happy together."  
  
"Rey, I don't know what you're talking about."  
  
"Up here, you don't," he tapped her forehead. "But down here," he grazed the skin over her heart with his fingertips. "You know."  
  
"So what do you suggest I do?"  
  
"Tell everyone what's going on. Show them you trust them, and they'll do the same for you. We're a group of people who have never had anything handed to us, never had a friend that didn't want something in return. So it's hard, to all come together now. But if you're our head, and you're our heart," he smiled at her. "I think we can do it."  
  
He walked to her door, and Lita followed him.  
  
"You get some sleep now, mamacita, and think about how you're going to explain everything to the rest of the team." He picked up her hand and laid a tender kiss on her palm. "I'll see you in the morning."  
  
"'Night," Lita whispered as she shut the door, and went to get ready for her first peaceful sleep in a while.  
  
Rob walked down the hall towards Lita's room, two half-pints of Ben & Jerry's Moosetracks icecream in hand as he practiced his apology speech. He looked up to see Lita's door open as she let Rey out of her room, and him kissing her hand tonight.  
  
Rob felt his heart drop all the way down all eighteen floors to land somewhere in the lobby. He turned around and headed dejectedly back to his room.  
  
"How could I have ever thought the perfect woman didn't already have someone? And even if she didn't, how could I have ever thought she'd have me?"  
  
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I don't know why, but I really love this chapter. This, and the chapter I wrote in "There for You" where a drunk Raven tries to propose by slipping his keyring on Lita's finger are quite possibly my two favorite things I've ever written. I don't know why. Anyway, what matters is, tell me how YOU liked it! 


	9. Chapter 9

Aaah...long awaited moment of truth. But, first, to take care of the old business. Again thanks to everyone who's been reading. To Amber, thanks, cute and sappy was what I was going for. Plus Rey-Rey just makes my heart go pitter-patter. To Robert, don't worry, I promised Raven, and there will be Raven! (I can hear my little Raven muse in my head right now, "What about me? What about RAVEN?") To Funky in Fishnet, I'm glad you liked it, too. And I'm also glad you're picking up some spanish. !Espanol es la idioma mejora del mundo! (Spanish is the best language in the world!) I can't wait until I'm in Costa Rica next year doing study abroad and the only way I'll get to remember the English language is by posting on ff.net. Anyway, I think y'all are finally ready for this next chapter. Forward, march!  
  
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Lita decided to make the meeting as casual as possible. She didn't want the boys to be tense and know something was up before she actually told them what had happened. Though, most of them had seemed to figure out something was bothering her. They just didn't know the seriousness of the situation, at least not until Spike got hurt.  
  
"Please don't overreact," Lita thought desperately. To say these guys were impulsive was a severe understatement, and she didn't want them to, as a mob, rush the Evolution lockerroom. Needed to leave at least a little piece of Triple H for Tommy to take win the belt off of at Summerslam.  
  
The guys were sprawled all over the lockerroom. Lita sat perched on a bench near the door. Rob sat leaning back against a locker a little off to her side, sneaking look every now and then. She either didn't notice, or was ignoring him. He didn't really care, as long as it wasn't obvious to her how badly she was hurting him.  
  
Tommy rushed in a few minutes late. "I'm sorry, Li, I had to get a cab, and..."  
  
She crooked her finger and motioned for him to lean down toward her.  
  
"You realize that, of all possible times to not be the first one here, you picked the absolute worst? I had hoped to talk to you before everyone else got here."  
  
"I know, I'm sorry, but there was a problem with my car..."  
  
"I was worried about you," she continued tersely, a little bit of emotion in her voice betraying her. "After what happened to Spike the other night?"  
  
"I'm sorry, Li, really, but I couldn't take my car, and I got to running behind..."  
  
A horrible thought suddenly struck her. "What was wrong with your car, Tommy?"  
  
"It was leaking brake fluid; I just noticed it for the first time this morning. I was lucky, actually. I dropped my coffee thermos and it rolled under the car, and when I went to get it, I noticed the puddle."  
  
Lita jumped up and hugged him fiercely, her arms locked tightly around his neck. He hugged her back, hesitantly and awkwardly. "Lita, what? I'm fine; it's not big deal..."  
  
"Have you had a mechanic look at the car?"  
  
"Yeah, I had to await for the guy who was towing it to the mechanic's to arrive, then I had to wait for the cab, that's why I was late."  
  
She stepped back from him and shook her head. "I think they're going to find that your brakelines were cut."  
  
Tommy's eyes widened. "They wouldn't go that far, would they? I mean, not even them."  
  
"Look what they did to Spike," she reminded him. He nodded and sat down with his head in his hands, stunned now that he realized what a close call it had been. "I normally don't even drink coffee..." he muttered.  
  
By now the other ECW members could definitely tell something was up. "Okay Lita, what was it you wanted to tell us?" Lance called from where he sat next to Justin in the back.  
  
Lita resumed her position on the bench. "Evolution's been targetting us."  
  
"Yeah? What else is new?" Justin asked.  
  
"No, I think it's been worse than you all realize. And, what else I haven't told you, is, it's my fault."  
  
She felt Rob's eyes on her, and she looked to him for reassurance. He nodded, and she continued.  
  
"It started that first week after we made our debut and threw them out of the ring. Orton cornered me, said he had a message from Triple H, and, um..." Her hand absently rubbed at the spot on her neck where he'd licked her, trying to rid herself of her feeling of disgust, trying to feel clean. She could still feel her back against the wall, his body pinning her, see him smile as she fought him in vain. Then she made herself think of her friend Rey, and the feathery gentleness of eyelashes across her face. She smiled at him and tried to continue.  
  
"Anyway, Orton was just trying to scare me. He did, a little bit, but then with everything that happened afterward, Rob joining us, winning the women's title, I was just so excited and so happy that I didn't have time to think about it. Then, Evolution was tailing me backstage, and Triple H showed up at the club we were at that night. Again, I just thought he was trying to scare me so that I'd get Tommy to back off the title. Then we found Spike..." Her voice softened. "I'm so, so sorry. I made a terrible mistake. I thought Triple H was just playing his usual little mind games before a title match, trying to frighten us off. So I didn't tell any of you because I thought that would just be helping his plot along. I thought he just saw me as the weak link, a way to get through to all of you, and I didn't want to be that. What I didn't understand was, that this was all revenge against me."  
  
"For what, exactly?" Stevie asked.  
  
"For defying him," Rob answered for her, his eyes on her face the entire time. "For daring to interfere with his plans, for not backing down from him, for not being just another one of his little groupies like he expects every woman here to be."  
  
Lita nodded. "Something like that, yeah."  
  
"So what do we do now?" D-von asked.  
  
Lita looked at him, stunned. "Is he asking me?" she thought. She looked around the room. They were all watching her, waiting for her next instruction, next signal.  
  
"I'm letting you go," Lita said. "You need a leader who doesn't endanger you. You need someone you can trust."  
  
"Exactly," Bubba said. "We need you."  
  
Her heart was bursting with gratitude. "Thank you, but, I need your help, too."  
  
"Buen trabajo, mamacita," Rey smiled at her. "?Estaba tan dificil?"  
  
"No, tenia razon."  
  
"?Crees ahora que todos estes hombres te aman?"  
  
"Me gustaria creerlo."  
  
"Lo cree. Es la verdad. Y, si no selo, te amo."  
  
"Gracias, Rey. Te amo, tambien. Amo todos de ustedes."  
  
Rey nodded. "Debes decirles."  
  
"No puedo decirlo."  
  
"Si, puedes."  
  
"Fine," Lita said in english, bringing back the attention of everyone else in the room.  
  
"About time," Tommy muttered. "I HATE when you two do that."  
  
"Look, I just wanted you all to know..." Lita looked to Rey for support, and he nodded "go-on". "I wanted you to know...I love you guys. All of you. And I'm glad we're sticking together. This team means more to me than anything. And I can't imagine it without any of you."  
  
She was greeted with teasing, "Awww..." and "We love you too!" Rob came over and hugged her from behind, planting a little kiss on her cheek and she patted his arm.  
  
"Anyway, that's enough love and enough of me being affectionate to last us for a decade. Which brings me to the next order of business." She looked at Tommy pointedly. "I'd wanted to discuss this with at least of few of you beforehand, but the situation got drastic, and there wasn't time. I've called in for a little bit of back-up. So..." She took a deep breath. "It's time for y'all to meet the newest trial team member."  
  
Raven walked in the door. Tommy jumped to his feet.  
  
"What? You've gotta be kidding. You can't trust him! He's never looked out for anyone but himself! We can't..."  
  
"Tommy, please," Lita begged, getting in between the two men and placing her hands on Tommy's chest in an age-old gesture of holding him back. "It's gonna be fine. There's nothing to worry about."  
  
"He'll turn on us, Lita," Tommy told her pleadingly. "Believe me, I of anyone should know. And don't tell me he's changed, because he can't. He is what he is."  
  
"Tommy, all of us here have changed in some way. Bubba and D-von put me through a table once, and 3d-d me a few times, remember?"  
  
"You didn't have to mention that," Bubba muttered. "Yeah, like we weren't already feeling bad enough about Spike," D-von agreed.  
  
"Oh, speaking of Spike," Raven interrupted. "He's been standing outside the door listening the entire meeting. I told him he looked like walking death and should be resting somewhere, but he insisted he was supposed to be at the show tonight. I found that a bit suspicious given the fact that he appeared to be hiding from his own teammates, but it did not seem my place to interrogate."  
  
Spike walked in sheepishly. "Thanks, traitor," he muttered sarcastically.  
  
"You could say that again," Tommy bit.  
  
Raven shrugged and wrapped an arm around Lita's shoulders smugly.  
  
"You!" Lita turned to Tommy. "Stop being childish."  
  
"You!" she pulled away from Raven. "Stop antagonizing him."  
  
"You!" she stormed over to Spike. "What are you doing here? You're supposed to be at home resting."  
  
"And you should have told us that Triple H was stalking you so we could have kicked his @$$ a long time ago. People make mistakes, big deal."  
  
"You could really get hurt," Lita whispered so only the two of them could hear.  
  
"Then I'll get hurt!" Spike exclaimed. "Fine, that's half of what I signed up for, anyway! I thought this was ECW. So why are you sheltering me? Why are you sheltering all of us?"  
  
"Maybe because I care."  
  
"Good," he hugged her and ruffled her hair. "Was that so hard to admit?"  
  
Lita laughed in spite of herself. "You boys will be the death of me. Fine, everyone has matches to get ready for. Let's get moving."  
  
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This chapter turned out way longer than I'd planned, and I didn't get to include as much of the plot as I wanted to. Oh well, I guess that'll be next chapter. Things are about to turn really interesting, I can tell you that. I've still got some surprises up my sleeve. Oh, and as for translation...  
  
Buen trabajo, mamacita - Good job, mommy  
  
?Estaba tan dificil? - Was that so hard?  
  
No, tenia razon - No, you were right  
  
?Crees ahora que todos estes hombres te aman? - Do you believe now that all these guys love you?  
  
Me gustaria creerlo - I'd like to believe it  
  
Lo cree - Believe it  
  
Es la verdad - It's the truth  
  
Y, si no selo, te amo - And, if you don't know, I love you  
  
Gracias, Rey - Thank you, Rey  
  
Te amo, tambien - I love you, too  
  
Amo todos de ustedes - I love all of you  
  
Debes decirles - You should tell them  
  
No puedo decirlo - I can't say it  
  
Si, puedes - Yes, you can  
  
Anyway, let me know how this chapter affected you, and I'll catch you on the flipside with Chapter 10. 


	10. Chapter 10

What can I say but, "Forgive me." I have wanted desperately to get back to this story, but I was on fall break and had a lot of stuff going on, so I was away from my precious laptop and my precious fan-fiction for almost a week. Anyway, to those of you who have been reviewing, with all my heart, thank you. I wish I could reply to your reviews more personally, but that would only further delay the posting of this chapter, and I don't think any of us want that. So, here we go.  
  
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Bischoff had to, of course, pick that moment to ruin everything.  
  
"Lita," he stormed in. "I just wanted to let you know that this little stunt's going to cost you."  
  
"What little stunt?" she asked with wide-eyed innocence. Rob laughed, tried to turn it into a cough, and ended up really coughing, with Spike pounding on his back. Bischoff glared at him and he tried half-heartedly to hide his smirk behind one hand.  
  
"THAT little stunt," he looked pointedly at Raven.  
  
She narrowed her eyes at him. "We're just trying to secure an even playing field for ourselves."  
  
He stepped up close to her, and all the of the guys drew up protectively in a tighter semi-circle behind her. She made a slight gesture with her left hand, backing them off.  
  
"That's when I go and change the playing field altogether," Bischoff growled huskily.  
  
She refused to cringe back, staring evenly into his eyes. "Cut to the chase."  
  
"You're not going to defend your women's title in a regular match tonight."  
  
"Go on."  
  
"It's going to be done the way women's wrestling should be. In a bikini mud wrestling match." He looked her up and down. "I hope you brought a more appropriate outfit."  
  
Rob lunged forward, and it took a trio of Dudleys to hold him back. "Why are you trying to be so degrading?" he yelled. "You've proven whatever screwed-up point it was you were trying to make. Just give her a real match already."  
  
"I'm not afraid of you," Lita bit at him. "I can handle anything you throw at me. So why resort to the cheap little power-plays and lame tricks, huh?"  
  
"Actually, you should know it was the Champ's suggestion," Eric winked at her. "And you know what? If you're such a liberated little lady, and you want to get treated with the same respect as the big boys, how about you really join your team for once?"  
  
"And what's that supposed to mean? I'd never abandon ECW."  
  
"I mean, I don't think it's fair for one stable to have two dressing rooms, especially if the second room is for just one wrestler. So I suppose you'll be changing with your 'team' tonight. I mean, you're all cozy little brothers, so it doesn't bother you, right? Good; I'll see you at your match later."  
  
Shoulders sagging, Lita turned to face the guys. She shrugged. "My match is the first of all of ours. I gotta get changed...or, well...unchanged for it. So..."  
  
Rob walked to the door and held it open, a clear indication for everyone to leave the lone female member of ECW to her privacy. "Thanks guys..." she murmured. "I'm sorry about all this."  
  
"Don't be sorry," Stevie reprimanded her. "It's Bischoff we're going for a piece of now. And still Triple H and his little Evolution buddies, of course."  
  
"Yeah, okay," she reluctantly agreed.  
  
"Believe it," Rob told her as he started to walk out and shut the door. "Creerlo," he said with a wink.  
  
Lita stood gaping at the place where he'd stood until remembering her upcoming match and hurrying to get ready.  
  
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hahaha...Robbie speaks Spanish. She can't pull anything over on him. Okay, this was very brief since I'm currently pulling an all-nighter, eating sunflower seeds to stay awake, reminding myself that going to sleep at 4:00 for an 8:00 class equals missing the class. I may go for an early morning, long, hot shower; plenty of hot water in the dorm at 4:00 a.m. Anyway, I'll make this up to y'all, I promise. Hopefully with the next chapter. Later. 


	11. Chapter 11

The computer rebooted and I lost this whole chapter. Ugh. Here's to starting over...  
  
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Lita stared across the ring...well...kiddie pool of mud at her opponent Terri Runnels. She knew something was very wrong, and not just the match itself. Bischoff wouldn't put her in a match she could easily win, not even something this degrading, without something up his sleeve. So what was he planning? And where the hell was the ref, anyway?  
  
She got answers to both questions when Evolution's music hit. Randy Orton walked down the ramp in his usual tights and a black-and-white striped shirt.  
  
Lita steeled her gaze on him, neither one breaking their eye contact. Terri took this as an opportunity to jump the women's champion. For her attempts, she received a Litabomb and a quick pin. Lita looked over at Orton, standing with arms crossed, refusing to make the count. Terri struggled and flailed under the mud, and not wanting to be a murderer by drowning, Lita let her up. Terri streaked up the ramp in a mud-covered blur, forgetting the women's title in favor of saving her life. Lita stood, waiting for Orton to make his move.  
  
When he made his leap, it was must faster than she was expecting, and Lita wasn't prepared for it. "I forgot how athletic this kid is," she thought distantly as her back crashed down into the mud, Orton's weight on top of her. He straddled her, holding her under for a while before finally pulling her head up so she could breathe. He slapped her, groped her, rubbed mud in her face and hair. Nothing very physically painful, but the degradation cut like knives. Finally he stopped, and yanked her to her feet.  
  
Lita stood there in a bikini, soaked through with mud, she could even feel it on her lashes, weighing her eyelids down. Orton held her arms behind her, and through her blurred gaze she could see Ric Flair and Triple H, in their impeccable suits, laughing.  
  
Her fear suddenly no longer mattered. All she felt now was the pain, the shame, and the overwhelming anger and injustice. She thought about all the threatening, the stalking, Spike hooked up to machines in a hospital bed, Tommy's brakelines being cut, all of it, and for what? "We just wanted an equal chance," she thought bitterly, and it all became too much. She lunged forward away from Orton, and slapped Triple H with her muddy palm.  
  
His sunglasses flew off and broke, a few drops of mud splattered on his blinding white shirt and suit coat, Lita vaguely stared at a few drops clinging to a strand of his perfectly straightened hair. He stared at her, stunned, and reached one hand up to the dirty brown handprint on his face. He pulled his fingers away, repulsed by the wet dirt he examined on the end of them. His eyes snapped back up to her, and suddenly there was no more amusement or arrogance in his gaze, but only rage.  
  
In a second they were all three upon her. Lita fell into a daze, observing the pain of their punches and kicks almost as an observer would, something separate from her. The pain was so unreal; they were all so strong and she was so alone. She heard the crowd screaming through the fog, and the blows of pain suddenly stopped. Hands were gently lifting her to her feet, gentle fingers entwined with her own. A hand brushed her mud-streaked hair away from her face, making it easier to see. Rob's eyes pleaded with hers soundlessly.  
  
"I'm okay," she coughed out, desperate to reassure him. "I'm fine."  
  
She tried to take a step and her knees buckled beneath her. She felt herself caught up in strong arms, and she gratefully rested her head on his shoulder, wondering vaguely if he cared about the mud that was getting all over his new airbrushed singlet. She looked to the left and saw Tommy, to the right and saw Raven. She snuggled against Rob's shoulder and let unconsciousness take her. She was safe.  
  
As the three men began to carry their leader to the back, Bischoff appeared at the top of the ramp. "I'm sure you want to get your precious teammate back to the trainer after that grueling championship match, so I'll make this short," he mocked. "Raven, I can tell we really didn't use you well enough before, so I came up with a great idea to night. At Summerslam, the fight for the World Championship is going to be a Triple Threat, Tommy Dreamer vs. Raven vs. Triple H. That'll be all," he smiled and disappeared backstage again.  
  
When Lita woke up backstage, she was being hovered over by a trainer and she was clean. "A welcome change," she thought. At realizing she was back with them, Rob, Tommy, and Raven materialized at her side. After making sure she was okay and vowing death upon Evolution next week, they informed her of what Bischoff had decreed while she was out. Lita shook her head with a sigh.  
  
"Guys, he's trying to reawaken your old rivalry. You can't let that happen. Bischoff sees this as punishment, I see it as an opportunity. Between the two of you, you could maim Triple H, totally take him out. And since it'll be in a match, Bischoff can't do anything about it. After he's out of the picture, you two fight for the belt. You fight hard, you fight clean, and you leave it all in the ring. After that, it's ECw, both of you still here, but one of you with the belt. And that'll be that."  
  
"Agreed," Tommy said tersely, with a sidelong glance at Raven. "Agreed," Raven said quietly.  
  
"Okay," Lita murmured weakly. "Now go on and get out of here. You too Rob," she said to his protesting. "You've got the main event with Kane tonight, and I expect to see you really take care of him. You got it?"  
  
"I'm not leaving you," he stressed each word forcefully. "I'll be fine," she assured him. "Evolution is long gone, and they won't dare show their faces tonight. There's too many of us and they're too afraid of all of you. And as far as I know, they're the only people I need to worry about. So go get ready for your match with Kane, I'll get dressed, grab my things, and duck out early back to the hotel. Fair enough?"  
  
"Fine," he shrugged. "I can't tell you what to do, but..." he kissed her forehead shyly. "Be careful. I don't know what I - we would do if something happened to you."  
  
"I'll be fine," she said again. "Now get out there."  
  
Rob nodded and headed for the door. Lita wrapped the cozy robe the trainer had wisely put on over her skimpy bikini more closely around herself and headed out for the lockerroom, looking sideways around corners and jumping at every little noise the whole time. Her entire body ached, and she could only hope her bruises would significantly fade before next week's show. Though what had happened tonight had marked her on a much deeper level.  
  
Lita locked the door of the lockerroom and sighed as she dropped the robe to the floor and began to go through her bag for her street clothes. She was so distracted by thoughts of other dangers that she didn't notice the huge figure slumped in the shadowy back corner of the room.  
  
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Mwahaha! What shall happen now? If I didn't have to head for my weightlifting class now, I'd go ahead and write the next chapter but, alas. Anyway, please let me know what you think, and I'll try to have Chapter 12 ready tomorrow. 


	12. Chapter 12

Oh man, for the reviews, thank you, thank you. The long anonymous review is one of my favorite things I've ever read. So funny. Also thanks to all the old stand-bys, and also the new reviewers. It's so cool to know that people are actually reading this! You want some more? You want some more? HUH? All right then, let's go!  
  
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Lita pulled her favorite casual wifebeater over her head and tugged on some jeans. Good clothes to go back to the hotel and chill in, maybe hang out with the boys a little, play some video games. Try to take everyone's mind off of what happened tonight and what was going down.  
  
Her planning was interrupted when a terrifyingly strong hand wrapped itself completely around her neck. A low, rasping voice breathed against her ear.  
  
"Call for Rob."  
  
"No," she whispered, struggling for breath against his grip.  
  
Kane's voice grew dangerous, angry. "Call for him. Get him to come here."  
  
"No," she whispered again, tears prickling at the corners of the eyes. Crap. Crying again. Stupid female emotion hormones.  
  
He lifted her up with one hand and turned her to face him. "Do you really think I'll hold back from harming you just because you're such a pretty little thing?" With his free hand he trailed a finger down her cheek.  
  
"No," she answered honestly. "I know you'll hurt me."  
  
"Then call for RVD."  
  
"No."  
  
"Fine. Then I'll just have to get his attention myself."  
  
She was slammed back into the wall, hard enough to stun, but not completely knock her out. She felt herself being carried somewhere, but being knocked nearly unconscious twice in one night left her weak, and she couldn't struggle or cry out. She was carried somewhere totally dark, until the flicker of light from a single match illuminated Kane's features as he towered over her. "I could have done better with the total darkness," she thought, and wondered at how her sense of humor seemed intact. But all her wryness and sarcasm disappeared as she heard splashing sounds and recognized the smell of gasoline.  
  
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The Titantron flickered to life. Rob stood still waiting in the ring, anticipating Kane's appearance. He had however, expected him in person, not on video on the giant screen.  
  
"Rob..." Kane whispered slowly, tauntingly. "Rob...I have something of yours..."  
  
RVD shrugged in confusion and gestured for Kane to come on out to the ring.  
  
"No, Rob, I don't think you understand. I have something of yours, something you care about. Don't you want to see what I have?"  
  
Rob just pointed again for Kane to come out to the ring.  
  
"All right then...I guess if you don't want this, I'll just get rid of her for you." He brought the match down to shine on Lita's face, where she slumped down on the floor handcuffed to the piping system of the basement.  
  
"No!" Rob screamed. Kane chuckled. "That's what I thought. I guess you'll just have to come find her, then."  
  
He dropped the match, and the room erupted into flames.  
  
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Okay, so that was kinda weird, I know. But that whole storyline they've got going with Kane is freaky, anyway. I was just thinking about that time he nearly set Rob on fire. Scary. Anyway, on a much more random note, go buy Clay Aiken's cd, "The Measure of a Man". It freakin' rocks, and I don't just say that because I'm a North Carolinian from Raleigh and I'm biased. Really. 


	13. Chapter 13

First off, I'm so sorry for taking so long with this. It's been freakin' crazy around here lately; college apparently takes a lot more time than I realized. And though I should be doing my Spanish homework right now, I'm updating because I feel so bloody guilty about abandoning y'all. (Especially when my inbox is full of such flattering reviews...You guys just don't know how you make my day.) So, on a different note, what's the freakin' deal with Jericho and Christian as of late? Personally, I've always kinda liked Y2J (he uses "sanctimonious" in promos...rock on), but I don't trust Christian as far as I can dropkick him. Especially with MY Lita. (Who I'll be seeing live in a week...woohoo!) Anyways, more story time!  
  
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Rob had dove through the ropes and was flying up the ramp before the match had even hit the floor. Just before the fire severed the monitor connection, he could hear Lita screaming. "This is not happening," his mind begged. "Not for me; please not this because of me."  
  
He ran blindly through the halls backstage, searching desperately for the stairway that would lead to the boiler room. Where was it? It wasn't like he'd needed to take notice before. He let out a frustrated bellow as he turned a corner and still found nothing. Raven and Stevie ran up to him.  
  
"We've got to find her!" he screamed, trying to push past them to continue searching.  
  
"No, it's this way!" Raven pulled him in the opposite direction. "Just down this long hall and to the right."  
  
"How do you know?" Rob asked as they ran.  
  
"I always did my promos in the basements, remember?"  
  
Rob nodded as he streaked past the other two men and wrenched the door to the basement stairs open. He'd taken one step in when a metal pipe cracked against the back of his skull. He tumbled down the long stairway to land in a heap at Lita's feet. She lifted her head, and their eyes locked. "Rob," she mouthed, and struggled weakly against the handcuffs. The flames that surrounded them heated the metal and scorched her wrists. She could smell a few stray pieces of her hair burning when the flame came in contact with them. "Was it worth it not to betray Rob?" a small, cynical part of her mind wondered. "Yes," the other part responded loudly. "And I'd do it all over again, even if I knew this would come of it."  
  
Kane slammed the door shut behind him and locked it, leaving them once again in flamelight and shadow. Raven and Stevie slammed into it, and pounded futilely. Their angry, helpless shouts could be heard through the thick steel.  
  
Kane walked slowly and deliberately down the steps, tapping the pipe in his hand. Through the flickering light and her own smoke-dimmed vision, Lita could see the end of it stained with a dark substance, and knew it to be Rob's blood. "Look out," she coughed faintly, desperately. "Rob, look out." The smoke overcame her and she passed out.  
  
Rob struggled weakly to his knees and turned to face his tormentor. When Kane came down with the pipe, it was so fast, Rob could hardly see him through the haze. The blow caught his lower back, and he collapsed to his stomach again. It all hurt so much; his back, his head, the heat. He wanted to lie down, let the smoke and the flames and Kane's superior strength overtake him, give up, give in, do anything to end this seemingly endless struggle.  
  
"It's over," he thought tiredly. "You win. Just leave me alone or let me die."  
  
He opened his eyes where his face lay on the concrete, still cold despite the fire atop of it. He opened his eyes, and saw Lita. And nothing else mattered.  
  
Kane went to strike him again, but this time he was quicker. He felled him with a leg sweep and had the pipe in his own hands before Kane even knew what was going on. He hit him, again and again, blow after blow, only four or five, but it felt like a lifelong battle. When he was sure Kane wouldn't be getting up anytime soon, he turned to Lita.  
  
She was slumped against the pipes she was handcuffed to, the hot metal burning through her clothes and searing her skin. He tried to yank at the handcuffs, but could barely even touch them for the heat.  
  
"Think, think..." His brain wouldn't seem to work, the image of Lita dying before his eyes with nothing he could do overrode all logical thought, but then it struck him. Heat. Heat made metal malleable.  
  
He picked up the pipe, and carefully aiming, struck against the links of chain between the handcuffs. They broke apart easily. He gathered Lita up into his arms and mounted the stairs as quickly as he could. Fumbling with the lock, he threw the door open and finally collapsed outside into the light and coolness of the hallway.  
  
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So, yeah, I guess I'm a little weird. Anyway, I really enjoy writing this for whatever reason. But even more, I enjoy hearing what you all think about it. So if you'd just leave a review, even a little bitty one, I'd greatly appreciate it. Thanks bunches. 


	14. Chapter 14

Okay, sorry for the long times between updates. I've been running rampant around here, and apparently it's knocked my immune system down, too, 'cause I'm getting really sick. (I slept through my morning class...screw it.) Not that I mind, after going to see Raw last night, and witnessing it live when my angel won the first contender match to face Molly Holly. Anyway, I should be working on homework, but here I am, giving it up for y'all. You guys better know I love you. Anyway, next chapter!  
  
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There was still the same, burning pain, and something around her wrists. She could still smell the smoke, and coughed for air. Lita woke up in the hospital bed screaming, her throat felt like it was being cut with every breath, she wondered how she wasn't coughing up blood. There were bandages around her wrists, but they couldn't ease the pain of the vicious burns. She opened her eyes, and through her smoke-damaged vision the first thing she saw was Rob.  
  
"Lita! It's okay; you're safe now." His hand gently smoothed her hair down, carefully avoiding her injuries. The other members of ECW stood around the room paralyzed, lost at seeing their leader brought down so low. She looked around at all of them, and burst into tears.  
  
"Remind me to shred Kane to pieces the next time I see him," Tommy murmured, and Raven assented, "Only if I don't get a hold of him first."  
  
Lita sobbed, and her sobs turned into coughs that wracked her entire body. The pain on Rob's face was greater than that of her own. "Easy," he murmured. "Shh...it's okay...please don't cry, Li."  
  
"Li?" Rey asked hesitantly and stepped to her bedside. Taking her hand in both his own, he rested his lips on the back of her palm. "Please be all right," he murmured. "We're looking out for you; it'll be okay."  
  
"We should have been looking out a little better earlier tonight," Spike snapped from his seat in the corner, his head in his hands. "We should have stayed in the back, I should have stayed, I should have checked the room, I should have-"  
  
"We all should have, but we didn't," Bubba interrupted him. "But that's in the past. What we need to do now is find Kane and destroy him totally."  
  
"How?" Lance asked. "He's been pushed in a flaming dumpster, set on fire, ran under a truck, set on fire a few more times, how can you kill the monster?"  
  
"We could dump gasoline on him..." Stevie suggested, and Rob shuddered. "Sorry man, I forgot about that," Stevie apologized and shut up.  
  
"We could invest in a really high-powered flamethrower..."  
  
"We could lock him in a burning coffin..."  
  
"We could..."  
  
"None of that will work," Lita interrupted hoarsely. "Have we seen any evidence at all that something like that would work? It never has in the past."  
  
"But we have to do something!" Spike exclaimed.  
  
"And we will do something," she corrected him. "But we have to think logically."  
  
"Logically? You want us to think logically after what he did to you?" Cries of outraged agreement filled the room, and Rey let off a string of his less-polite Spanish vocabulary.  
  
"Listen to me," Lita rasped, and the room fell silent. "Thanks," she whispered, a little surprised at their immediate obedience. "You're all looking at this the wrong way. You're trying to fight fire with fire. That doesn't work. You'll only fuel the flame, and give Kane an element he's far too familiar with." She winced, thinking back to the monster towering over her in that basement. "So what do we do? We do what anyone logically would...we fight fire with water."  
  
"And I suppose you already have a plan in mind?" Rob asked, a bit of his old smile spreading slyly across his face.  
  
Lita felt the corners of her own mouth twitch a little bit, and despite all the pain and suffering she'd experienced in just that night, found that Rob could still make her smile. "Why, how did you ever guess?"  
  
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What is ECW scheming? Well, I can assure you it will be morbid. And morbid is good, morbid is fun, morbid makes happy for everyone! Lalalala! :goes to chug down a little more cough syrup and collapse back in bed: 


	15. Chapter 15

This may be hard to believe (or really easy to believe...whatever) but I can hardly even remember what I wrote last chapter. I am feeling that sick and dopey. But I've been getting some of my geek therapy on, watching "Sailor Moon" and reading an Anne McCaffrey novel I just bought. So therapeutic. Not to mention that I was able to get a cheap used Bowie cd. ("Christiane F." One of the very few I didn't already have.) Plus, I went and bought my costume yesterday. I'm going as a glam rocker. (Big surprise, there.) Anyway, back to what y'all want...the next chapter!  
  
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Kane's instincts were on high alert. He walked slowly backstage, actually avoiding the shadows for once. He knew that ECW's attempted rebuttal would be swift and forceful, like the blow of a hammer. He certainly didn't want to be in its path when it dropped.  
  
Did they really think he wanted a feud with them? That was ridiculous; no one in their right mind would. Of course, a lot of people seemed to be of the opinion of late that he wasn't in his right mind. But they were fools. They couldn't see the logic of it, the logic of his beautiful plan. The plan that would make them all monsters, all unified together. And if everyone was a monster, then the standards would change. What was once considered monstruous, would be normal. And they, the pretty, perfect, "normal" people, they would be seen for what they really were. The real monsters. The ones that judge and ostracize.  
  
He didn't really want to hurt anyone. But it was necessary. To make them see. To make them understand what it was like, his world of flame and darkness.  
  
And he really hadn't wanted to hurt the girl, Lita. But she wouldn't cooperate, wouldn't fulfill her part of the plan. So she had to be punished. It might seem simplistic, but the rules, his rules, he could not tolerate to be broken.  
  
This was all Rob's fault. Rob had gotten too close. Rob had stolen his trust. Rob had set him in that match. Rob had actually wanted him to lose. Rob wanted him to show his face, to show his scars, show his shame. He'd sat right there in the ring, unafraid, arrogant in his security, sure that Kane would not hurt him, his *friend*. How naive. Kane knew the truth; no one is anyone else's friend. Just people who smile at each other so that they can get what they want.  
  
And when he'd pulled his mask off, and the whole world had screamed in shock and fear, had cowered away, Rob still sat there in that childlike innocence, looking up at him. Kane hated that look. It was the most confusing thing about Rob. How could he just sit there looking at him, not turning away, no disgust apparent on his face? What did he want out of him, that he could hide his true hatred so well? That was what was confusing...he couldn't tell what Rob was using him for. Everyone uses everyone else for something, but he couldn't figure out what Rob wanted. That was the most confusing thing of all...and Kane hated being confused.  
  
So he'd reached down, wrapped his thick fingers around Rob's throat, and that unreadable expression was finally wiped away, replaced by fear. Fear, Kane knew. Therefore, fear, he liked. Fear was simple; fear made sense. And all he had to do to find it was wrap his hand around someone's neck.  
  
He'd lifted Rob up high above his head, and the fear in his eyes was clouded with other emotions Kane didn't like as much...hurt, disbelief, pleading. So to end those other, confusing emotions, Kane slammed him down, with all his weight and strength, into the rough, biting canvas below. And then, when Rob was lying there unconscious, eyes closed and all expressions gone for the moment, Kane felt something close to peace. And since he no longer believed in happiness, peace was enough for him.  
  
So Rob had done just as he'd expected and turned on him. And that was okay, he was happy with that. The only real difference between a friend and an enemy was honesty. Enemies were honest about who they were and what they wanted from you. So now he and Rob would fight, until the other gave in, and that was fine. Kane knew he would win, so he didn't worry.  
  
But he hadn't expected the girl, and all her other little friends. The girl threw a snag into his plan, and that was strike one against her. Then the girl had refused to give into her fear, had refused to obey Kane's command, and that was strike two. That was enough; he wouldn't give her the opportunity for strike three.  
  
But it was such a pity. She was such a pretty little thing; he didn't want to damage those features too much. And her flaming red hair...he loved that more than anything. He loved all the fire that burned within her, infused her flushed face when she was angry or in battle, the inferno of passion she carried. Maybe, when he was done with Rob, there'd be time for them. For him to have her. Even more motivation for him to destroy Rob as quickly as possible.  
  
Kane smiled.  
  
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Okay, yeah, so that was weird, but since I don't like having "total villains", I decided we'd look into Kane's mind a little bit. Plus, for some odd reason, I tend to often love my villains. (Come on, how freakin' cool was Scar in "The Lion King"? Admit it; at least he had the best song.) Anyway, I hope this wasn't too out there for some of y'all. I blame the fact that I'm currently listening to the album "The Man Who Sold the World" (by Bowie, of course), and the first song is "Width of a Circle". ("I came upon a monster, sleeping by a tree. I looked and saw that the monster...was me.") Anyway, I hope y'all got at least something out of this. Let me know. 


	16. Chapter 16

94 reviews?!?!? Holy crap, do you guys rock! Thanks so much...geez...I'm gonna cry. This is awesome. Okay, so are we gonna try and break 100? That would be awesome. I can hardly even conceive of it. My review file is getting so long. (No joke, I copy and keep every single review, even the less-flattering ones.) Wow, honestly, thanks a bunch. This story has been the only really enjoyable thing I've been doing since I've been sick. Anyway, since there's no real way to summarize what's about to happen, I'll just let you on with the story.  
  
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Lita crept cautiously around the backstage area. "Kane?" she called softly. "Kane, where are you? I just want to talk."  
  
She turned a dark corner. "Kane? Kane, you don't need to hide from me. Can't you see I'm all alone?"  
  
Silence and darkness prevailed. "Kane?" she whispered again, once, faintly.  
  
"Who are you looking for?" a deep voice whispered smoothly in her ear behind her.  
  
She didn't bother to turn around, already knowing she wasn't going to like what she was about to see. "Leave me alone, Hunter, this has nothing to do with you."  
  
"I would leave you alone, if you and your little team would just back off of my title."  
  
"Don't worry, it's not going to be your title for much longer, and after that, you won't have to worry about keeping up with it."  
  
Grabbing a fistful of her hair, Triple H yanked her around to face him. He leaned his face in close to hers, speaking almost against her lips. "Big words, and here you are all alone. None of your precious boys are gonna run down to save you this time."  
  
Lita cursed her stupid, stubborn big mouth. She might be able to afford making threats when she had the rest of ECW behind her, but why couldn't she learn to shut up at the appropriate times? Triple H used her hair to yank her head to one side, wrenching her neck painfully. He pulled her against him, nuzzling her neck, smelling the pale lilac of her skin. He nipped at the tender skin where the throat joins the shoulder, breaking the skin. He brought his face up to hers again and Lita was horrified to see a tiny bead of her blood on the side of his lower lip.  
  
She bit her tongue, refusing to plea, refusing to abash herself. He was going to do whatever it was in his sick, twisted mind that he wanted to do, and she wasn't going to shame herself by asking his mercy. She was going to fight.  
  
She kicked his shin, hard, right below the kneecap. He cried out in pain and surprise and went down, but he kept his hand tangled in her hair and brought her down underneath him. He raised his free fist, and Lita tensed, waiting for the explosion of pain.  
  
It never came. She opened her eyes to see Triple H, still above her, staring up at Kane, who held his wrist in an iron grip. Kane was so tall that he'd had to half-crouch to do this, and Triple H looked more than a little terrified. In Lita's indominatable sense of humor, she hoped briefly that Hunter didn't wet himself with her still underneath him.  
  
Kane's words were slow, clear, deliberate, a threat without the attempt to threaten even being made.  
  
"Let her go."  
  
Triple H nodded, wide-eyed and stood up, his eyes going back and forth between Kane's coldly enraged face and the giant's hand that threatened to crush the bones in his wrist and any second. When Triple H was fully standing, Kane released him violently, throwing him back a little bit. Kane stumbled a little, still stunned and wide-eyed. "Leave," Kane suggested quietly, and Triple H's rapid disappearance made it clear that he wholeheartedly agreed that was the best course of action.  
  
Lita remained lying on her back on the floor, paralyzed with fear and confusion. She stared up at Kane wildly. He leaned down towards her...and held his hand out. Numbly, in shock she took it.  
  
He pulled her to her feet with surprisingly gentle strength and released her hand with a touch that lingered just a nanosecond too long.  
  
"You're bleeding," he said quietly.  
  
She only stared blankly at him, all conscious mental processes seeming to have shut down. He gestured cautiously to her neck, not coming close enough to touch her, and a little bit of understanding broke out.  
  
"Oh," she muttered dumbly, and gingerly fingered the painful bite on her neck.  
  
Kane shuffled some of the stacked-up boxes of sound and light equipment around and dug out a medic's kit. He pulled out some disinfectant and cotton swabs, and held them out to her. She reached for them carefully. He looked down at the traces of burns around her wrists and looked quickly away again. "I'm sorry," he murmured.  
  
Lita tried to pour a little bit of the rubbing alcohol on the cotton, but her hands were shaking too fast and she spilled it all over herself. The sharp medical scent permeated the air. "You didn't seem very sorry at the time."  
  
Kane took the bottle from her hands and sanitized a piece of cotton for her. "I was."  
  
"Then why'd you do it?"  
  
He shrugged his massive shoulders, and it somehow made him look smaller...defeated and weak. He thought of everything he wanted to say, how he'd been angry, how he hadn't...*seen* her then. Seen her for what she really was. A woman of fire and light. How until she'd defied him, she'd been just another obstacle in his way to revenge and peace.  
  
Lita studied him as he sat there on the box of sound equipment. His head was down, and he was motionless in thought. Lita felt a twitch of pity, and somewhere deep in the back of her mind, she thought, "He was human once."  
  
"So why did you save me tonight?"  
  
His head snapped up and he looked at her, dazed, so deep in his thoughts he'd nearly forgotten she was there. She looked into his eyes and felt drowned underneath all the pain she saw there. How could so much pain fill one life? She could see how he'd let it swallow him, let it become his existence.  
  
He reached out, delicately, and cleaned the wound on her neck. She barely felt his light touch, except for the sting of the alcohol entering the broken skin. His eyes lost their lost, pained look and she could see him hardening himself, putting on the mask of the monster everyone expected to see.  
  
"You were looking for me to talk to me, weren't you?" he said coldly. "I thought it'd be easier to understand what you were saying before Triple H did what he wanted with you, rather than after."  
  
Lita kept her gaze even on him, and decided to press the issue, braving even his well-documented anger. "Is that the only reason?"  
  
He glanced harshly at her face and looked back to the wound he was tending. "What other reason could there possibly be?"  
  
Before she could answer that, he turned away from her, putting up the medical supplies. "It shouldn't get infected now."  
  
"I didn't know you cared."  
  
"I don't."  
  
"Then why-"  
  
"Because there's enough of Triple H's disgusting germs crawling all over this place between him and his groupies, and I didn't want any more growing."  
  
Lita snorted. She hadn't guessed that Kane could have a sense of humor. "I thought you were basically indifferent towards him."  
  
"Because I lost to him, I had to show my face. Did you forget?"  
  
"Oh, that's right..." Lita murmured.  
  
"The match that YOUR little FRIEND Rob Van Dam asked for." The anger was fueling up inside of him, the urge to destroy anything nearby increasing.  
  
Lita saw his rage building and tried quickly to change the subject. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about." She laid her hand on his arm.  
  
He stared at her, shocked. She took his momentary stillness to slide over to sit next to him.  
  
He couldn't believe this beautiful woman would willingly come this near him, would willingly *touch* him. "I suppose you want to also try to tell me that Rob didn't mean for it all to happen?  
  
"No. I know that he didn't mean for it to happen, but that's unimportant. It did happen and it's his fault. I want your help in bringing him down."  
  
"I'm disfigured, not stupid. Why would you want to 'bring down' your precious little Rob?"  
  
"He's getting in my way," Lita stated coldly and harshly. "He's getting too close." She let a little anger creep into her voice and build on itself as her words continued.  
  
"He's always asking how I feel, wants to know whenever some little thing has happened to me, wants me to tell him everything. He thinks talking about problems solves them, but he gets nothing done. He's dragging me down."  
  
Kane laughed bitterly. "I know exactly what you mean."  
  
Lita scooted over closer to him so that their legs were touching, leaned up towards him as she pleaded, "So you'll help me then?"  
  
"I would do whatever I can to be done with RVD."  
  
"Good," she smiled brilliantly. "Because I have a plan."  
  
"What is this 'plan' based on? How do you know it will work?"  
  
"Because," her smile was perfect and poisonous. "He loves me."  
  
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Dang, I love writing this. Things are getting a little more complicated, no? So who's side is Lita really on? Or is she only on her own side? Or am I on crack for trying to fit so many plot twists in one story? Should I cut back on my cough syrup and tylenol intakes? Do you hate this story now that it's not take the straightest line to the end? Please let me know something. 


	17. Chapter 17

I knew it...I killed the story. I got two reviews for last chapter. Please guys, I was already feeling insecure about the plot twists, and then I got no response. I feel like a high-schooler who's just asked out one of the cool seniors and is now standing there waiting for a response while he says nothing. Please, say something! Oh, why have you rejected me? :falls crying to the floor and throws a little vintage-Christian temper tantrum: Ugh, Christian, that reminds me...what is he doing near MY Lita? He'd best recognize! Oh, and though I know Y2J shouldn't be trusted, aren't he and Trish heartbreakingly cute together? And I'm not even a really big Trish fan. But come on, that line last night, "I would have given you my number, Chris." Aw, it's too cute! Anyway, I mean, um, what was my point? Oh yeah, please review (even if it's only one of two words, "GOOD" or "BAD") because I'm going insane with lack of self-confidence. Anyway, less rambling, more story.  
  
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Rob found Lita a few minutes before the show. "Well, how'd it go? Is the plan gonna work?"  
  
"Yes, it's going to work," she answered quietly.  
  
"Well, come on, spill!" He plopped down across from her on the bench excitedly.  
  
"What do you mean?" she asked, her voice tired.  
  
"I mean, how did you do it? How'd you get him to trust you?" Noticing her unusually quiet attitude and hesitancy to respond, Rob grew worried. "He didn't hurt you, did he? You know we didn't want you to go by yourself. Are you all right? Did he do something-"  
  
"Rob, I'm fine," she bit, a little exasperated. "Triple H gave me some crap, but Kane got me out of it."  
  
"Kane saved you? Why?"  
  
She shrugged, not meeting his eyes.  
  
"So, did you two talk then? Did you get him to agree to help you?"  
  
She nodded.  
  
"How'd you do it?"  
  
She sighed. "I had to lie. I had to trick him. Basically, I had to do the exact same thing people have been doing to him all his life, that made him what he is."  
  
"Lita," Rob's voice was gentle, comforting. "You had to. Don't forget what he did to you. He's a monster. There's nothing human left in him."  
  
"That's not true," she snapped. "There's some left. But it'll definitely be gone after I turn on him this time. How much is one person supposed to stand? And, I remember Kane the way he used to be. Back when he, Taker, and me and the boys were on the same side..." She looked up at him steadily. "And it was your team we were fighting against."  
  
"Invasion was a long time ago. People change."   
  
"Then maybe Kane can too! I saw a little bit of that earlier. I saw him the way he used to be, back before all the betrayals. He's had so many, and not just from his childhood but his older brother (again and again), X-Pac, Tori..." She hung her head and shrugged again. "I just know what it's like to be betrayed. And I don't want to have to do it to someone else."  
  
Rob reached out hesitantly, rubbed her shoulder. "Matt was a fool for what he did."  
  
"That doesn't change that I was still in love with him when he did it. He turned on Jeff, jumped to a different show, and that was it. No more Team Xtreme. Jeff left a litte bit after that, and now it's just me."  
  
Rob shook his head, a tiny little sad smile on his face as he pulled her into a hug. "It's not just you anymore. It's us, I mean, ECW. And even if that falls apart..." He shifted a little, pulled her tighter against him and spoke into her ear. "You'll always have me."  
  
She looked up at him intensely, and suddenly their faces were a little too close for comfort. Both's breathing became heavy. Lita could feel the warmth of Rob's breath on her parted lips. He rested his forehead against hers and pulled her closer still against them, facing each other as they both straddled the bench. He ran his free hand deeply through her hair, rested it against her face. Lita closed her eyes with the feel of it. They both leaned forward.  
  
("Because...he loves me.")  
  
Lita jumped up and ran for the door. "I have to check the schedule for the matches tonight," she explained breathlessly as she fled out the door.  
  
Rob stared after as the door swung shut behind her. Letting out a growl of frustration, he turned and punch the locker behind him.  
  
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Okay, so maybe the frustration's more on my part. I seem to have this thing where I always tease myself where, whenever I'm desperate to write a make-out scene, it just never happens. (Like, I totally wanted Rey and Lita to make out in the hotel room, but it wouldn't have fit the plot, and I thought the butterfly kisses thing was kinda cute anyway.) And now, when I'm sitting here, heart racing, just dying to write some heavy tongue-in-mouth stuff, I have her leave the room. Why do my muses do this to me? I swear, they're all such teases. :sigh: Anyway, all that's going on (including "the plan") will be explained soon. Until then...review please? 


	18. Author's Note

Hey guys! I figured I'd post a little something once I reached 100 reviews. Mainly, I have some questions to ask, and some things to clear up.  
  
(1) How often do you want me to update? I'm kinda on an infrequent schedule (being in college will do that to you) but I'm always either hearing that I'm updating not often enough or too frequently. So, let me explain that...I've got this story in my head. And it writes itself when it chooses. And if I don't get it out, it hurts. It's like mental fluid on the brain or something, all this pressure building. So I write in spurts, and that's how updates happen. But if I need to back off some on posting (like, writing a chapter but then waiting to post it), let me know.  
  
(2) The big evil "R" word...reviewing. I hate begging for reviews. On the other hand, I'm tremendously insecure. So, whenever I change things around with the story, and the usual amount of reviews don't come in at their usual time, I get panicky. (Like I said, I'm insecure.) So, forgive me when I get all paranoid on y'all. (Just think about how lucky you are that you aren't my boyfriend. I feel so bad for what I put that poor guy through.)  
  
(3) Oh yeah, while we're on the subject of my boyfriend, I understand aspersions being made to my Lita-obsession. So here's the deal: She's the freakin' woman. I don't want her; I want to be her. She's my hero/idol/whatever. That's why I call her "my" Lita. Ever heard a Wiccan say, "Oh my Goddess!" It's a similar sort of thing. (No, I'm not pagan, I'm just making a point.) So yeah, since I'm a little Lita acolyte, it's natural that I'm really protective and defensive about her and think she's the best thing to ever happen to women's wrestling. (Plus, one more thing...If I was a lesbian, why am I writing a hetero story? I could be all about some f/f slash, but no, I've got one chick with about 10 awesome guys, the ultimate straight girl fantasy.)  
  
(4) If you're mad at me for me expressing these opinions/observations/whatever, then that makes me sad. I just want y'all to realize how seriously I take what I write, and that what you all think of it (and consequently, me) is very important to me. I love this little tight, online community that ff.net hosts, and I always hate to see when disputes break out. (And I've seen it get ugly on here before.) So I hope that nothing that was stated here offended anyone.  
  
Anyway, that's basically it. Thanks so much for reading and reviewing; this is my favorite hobby, and it really relieves the stress. Anyway, though I want to write the next chapter ('cause it's been playing itself over and over in my head for hours), I better do this accounting homework that's due first thing in the morning...in about 8 1/2 hours. :sigh: Why must schoolwork get in the way of the really important stuff? Oh well. Later y'all. 


	19. Chapter 18

Hey guys. Sorry for the bizarre mood swings as of late. Just stressed about school stuff (not to mention the fact that it's *that* time of the month). Anyway, this story has basically finished itself in my head, so I might as well go ahead and write the next chapter. Hope y'all dig it.  
  
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Lita met Kane at the predetermined spot backstage. She motioned silently for him to follow her, and walked off quickly, not looking back to check that he was behind her.  
  
Kane followed as best as he could, but Lita was surprisingly swift. He broke into a half-jog, and nearly lost her on one turn except for the flash of red hair he saw whipping around a right corner. However, the pride of the man inside the monster kept him from calling out for her to slow down.  
  
Lita ducked around one corner and stopped, pressing her back flat against the wall. So far so good. The plan seemed to be working. Any second, Kane would turn the corner and fall right into the glass coffin ECW had planted there.  
  
They all stood in a wide semi-circle, waiting for him to come. He did just as expected: turned the corner, ran into the shin-high end of the coffin, lost his balance...but didn't fall.  
  
Lita didn't hesitate for a moment. While he was still unsteady, she lurched forward to knock him off his feet. Grabbing the closest thing he could for balance, he pulled her down into the coffin on top of him.  
  
The automated lid slammed shut and locked, just as planned. What was not planned, of course, for Lita to be inside.  
  
Lita could faintly hear Rob beating on the bulletproof glass above her head, yelling her name, but since she was laying on her stomach face-to-face with Kane, and the coffin hadn't been intended for two, she could not turn her face to see him. So she focused on the problem at hand.  
  
"All right, Kane, listen quickly, because I don't have much time to explain this. There are pumps connecting this coffin to the boiler room. Soon it will begin to fill with water. There's a four-digit code to unlock this door. I'd point out the control panel to you, but my back's kinda to it. Anyway, I know you can see it."  
  
Kane nodded, still stunned from the so sharp and recent turn of events.  
  
"Now, here's the deal. I propose a truce. You end this feud with RVD, and cease seeking him out to attack him."  
  
"No."  
  
"All right then." Manuevering as much as she could in the cramped space, she folded her arms across his chest and laid her chin on them. "I guess we'll be the last people we'll ever see. Beats dying with Triple H."  
  
Kane closed his eyes and tried to ignore both her and the water he felt creeping up underneath him. It was unpleasantly cool, and smelled of rust in the pipes. Lita continued on like she didn't notice.  
  
"I wonder which of us will die first. I mean, how long will it take? How long does it take to drown?" She made herself more comfortable, relieving the strain on her neck by settling her head down on his chest. "You're heart seems to be beating pretty fast. Are you sure you're not scared?"  
  
Her voice was slightly muffled to Kane. The water had reached the level of his ears. "Kane?" she asked. "Come on, you're not drowning yet. You can still talk to me."  
  
He continued to keep his eyes clenched shut, and she sighed. "Maybe I'll drown first; then at least I'll have shut up and you won't have to listen to me. You could just watch me die."  
  
"All right!" Kane yelled, and a little bit of water spilled into his mouth. He coughed and sputtered some as it went the wrong way down his throat. "Enough; give them the signal and get us out of here. I'll leave Rob alone."  
  
Lita patted the side of his face. "Good boy." As the water continued to rush in, Lita began the slow and painful (for both of them) process of twisting around so that she was on her back. Fortunately, they'd designed the coffin with Kane in mind, so it was plenty wide for her.  
  
Outside, Rob was losing his senses. "Why won't she give us the code? The water's all filled in; I can't see what's going on. Lita!" he began banging on the door again.  
  
"Calm down, man, you're not getting through that door," Spike shuffled nervously on his feet. "Besides, she'll give us the code."  
  
"How can you be sure?"  
  
"Because she has to!" Spike yelled, breaking down. "Because, if she doesn't, then..."  
  
"Then we'll stand here guarding our Snow White in her casket of glass, but with no Prince Charming coming to save her," Raven whispered quietly.  
  
"Oh, shut up you freak!" Bubba snapped. "It's not helping!"  
  
"Are any of us helping?" Stevie asked. "We're just standing here not doing a damn thing."  
  
"What are we supposed to do?" Lance asked.  
  
"All of you, shut up!" Rob yelled as Lita's hand slammed against the glass, holding up all 5 fingers. She repeated it again with 3, then 2, then 3 again.  
  
"The code!" Justin yelled, while Tommy assured him, "Don't worry; I'm already putting it in."  
  
The door swung open, and before it had even finished its arc, Rob was pulling Lita out. Hitting the air, she shivered from the cold. Immediately, the other guys were rushing to get towels out of gymbags to dry her and warm her up. Rob pulled her close, rocking her, ignoring the fact that she was getting him soaking wet.  
  
"How could you do that to me?" he murmured. "How could you? I thought I was about to die at any second."  
  
Lita laughed, hugging him back and snuggling against him. "You were out here; you were just fine."  
  
"My world was in that casket," he whispered fiercely. "And I had to sit here and watch while a flood nearly washed it all away. How can you be so calm?"  
  
"I didn't know it meant that much to you," she whispered seriously, apologetically.  
  
"You mean that much to me."  
  
He looked into her eyes, and Lita wanted more than anything to kiss him right then and there, comfort him and show him she was just fine. "What am I thinking?" she wondered, but her pondering was interrupted by the guys wrapping her up in towels and hugs, trying to keep her dry and warm. Raven smirked suspiciously.  
  
"What?" she asked him, grinning a little herself.  
  
"5-3-23. I should have thought of that. Pretty inane, if you ask me."  
  
"Well, I didn't ask you. Anyway, I thought it was a good code."  
  
"?Que significa?" Rey asked, still a little too emotional to trust his english at the moment.  
  
"It's the numbers of the letters of the alphabet that spell our name. 'E' is the fifth letter, 'C' is three, and 'W' is 23."  
  
"Es tan estupido," Rey teased, but pulled her into a big, dripping hug anyway.  
  
Kane sat, for the moment forgotten, slumped against the side of the coffin, his lungs burning with the newfound air, his skin tightened with the wet and the cold, and no one to warm him. He sat watching ECW, and for the first time since he lost his childhood, a tear slipped down his face, disguised among all the other water on him.  
  
Lita looked back over her shoulder at him and smiled, and suddenly the fact that she'd actually remembered him, had *seen* him for who he really was, made it all worth it. Unfortunately, her kind action drew the attention of the rest of ECW.  
  
"So, what about him?" Tommy asked.  
  
"What about him?" Lita replied to his question with a question. "It's Kane. He works for the WWE, too. And that's our relationship now. He sees one of us backstage, or one of us sees him, no big deal. No fighting, no ambushing, no plotting, nothing. It's over."  
  
"Now, you boys have some matches tonight you need to go get ready for. Maybe you should get to it."  
  
Every single one of them hugged her by as they left, Spike shyly kissing her on the cheek before running off.  
  
Rob waited for them to leave, and turned to her. "Why'd you take the risk? You could have both drowned and even you yourself admit that Kane cares little for his life."  
  
"No, he doesn't," she admitted quietly, looking back at where the Big Red Monster was walking off. "But he wouldn't have let anything happen to me." 


	20. Chapter 19

Watched all three Matrix movies in order yesterday. "Woah." Now that my mind is completely fogged up with deep thoughts, I turn to something simple and uncomplicated, like my own little plot. Perhaps this shall clear my head. Oh, and in announcements, for those of you who missed it on the review board, Samantha20 is going to start posting her first wrestling fan fic, soon, so let's all try to support our sister, eh? And as always, thanks for continuing to read and review (yeah, the "Snow White" line was my favorite too). Anyway, onward!  
  
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The long-awaited SummerSlam had arrived. The night of the title match was upon them.  
  
In typical Bischoff character, the GM had banned all of ECW from ringside, while not extending the same restrictions toward Evolution. However, as Lita assured them all in the locker room meeting that night, Triple H still had to take on two members of ECW, Tommy and Raven.  
  
She met with both of the guys separately beforehand.  
  
"Tommy, I know he's betrayed you in the past, I know, but tonight, at least for the beginning of the match, you two are on the same side, against Triple H. I know you want to win the title, but tonight, if we get nothing else accomplished, let's send a message to Evolution that they should think twice about screwing with ECW."  
  
"Sounds fine by me," Tommy agreed quietly.  
  
"I mean, I just don't want anything to ever happen again like what happened to Spike."  
  
"Hey," Tommy said, laying a hand on her cheek. "That wasn't your fault. And as bad as what they did to Spike was, none of us want to see anything else happen to you."  
  
"They haven't really hurt me badly."  
  
"Just two weeks ago they gave you a concussion! Lita, I don't want you coming anywhere near Evolution tonight, none of them. Don't even come to the gorilla position or anything during the match." Lita opened her mouth to protest, but Tommy held up his hand, signalling for her to be quiet. "Don't. Triple H still has it in for you, and he's got a long arm. He'll be looking for any opportunity he gets. Even if Raven and I take care of him in the ring, he still has his lackeys running about. In fact, I think he may have a new one."  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"Eh, just something I overheard. Evolution appears to be growing. But nothing to worry about; we've still got them drastically outnumbered."  
  
Lita laughed. "That's the truth. Hey, good luck out there tonight, Tommy. You guys be careful."  
  
"I will," he hugged her. "And you too. No more taunting world champions or defying big red freaks."  
  
"Hey, after tonight, I can taunt the new world champion all I want."  
  
Tommy grinned. "Then you better start preparing some new insults for me."  
  
"Cocky." Lita laughed at him. "Go on and get ready, and I mean what I said before about tonight. You and Raven keep it clean, and leave it in the ring. No more after this."  
  
"I know ma, I know. No picking fights with Scotty-boy."  
  
"Precisely. Now get out of here."  
  
Lita's discussion with Raven didn't go as smoothly.  
  
"What is betrayal? Betrayal is nothing but a word used by the weaker to describe the survival of the fittest, the evolutionary process by which those with aspirations and the means to achieve them rule, and those without are forgotten and go trodden under the heel of society. Though society itself is..."  
  
"Raven, cut with the philosophical bull. We're talking about one match, not the foundations of our existence."  
  
"Oh yeah, right. So basically, Tommy and I beat Triple H into a bloody pile of his own self-worth and arrogance..."  
  
Lita rolled her eyes, and Raven smiled mischieviously. "Sorry, I couldn't pass up on that one. Anyways, so we reduce Triple H to the primordial slime that he is..."  
  
"Get on with it!"  
  
"Then Tommy and I get to fight?"  
  
Lita nodded, pinching the bridge of her nose where she was developing a headache.  
  
"And Tommy and I don't get to fight any more after that?"  
  
She nodded again.  
  
"All right, fair enough. When I am champion, we shall return to our past state of brotherhood and unity."  
  
"Just...go get ready for your match."  
  
Raven nodded. "Oh, and Lita?"  
  
"...What?"  
  
He kissed her forehead. "Be careful tonight. No sneaking out to the ring, no trying to bargain with Bischoff, none of that tonight. You've been through enough lately; just take care of yourself. Our better yet...just let us take care of you for once."  
  
She smiled a little. "Get ready for your match, Scott."  
  
He saluted smartly and marched off. Lita returned to the lockerroom where she waited a few minutes. When she heard the end of the theme music for the three competitors in the main event, she snuck off to the gorilla position.  
  
Evolution was suspicious in their absence during the match. However, things were going as planned for ECW. Tommy and Raven had truly put everything aside and were using their previous experience as a tag team to pull off some devastating moves on Triple H. Between all the hard body shots and DDTs, it didn't look like Triple H would be able to even stand up for the next few days. Lita giggled.  
  
Triple H was getting pretty beat down, when it happened. Raven had just pulled Triple H into a beautiful cobra clutch. A little too beautiful. The referee went over to make the count to see if Triple H was really out.  
  
Tommy grabbed hold of Raven, breaking the hold. As Triple H lay motionless on the mat, the two battled angrily, more of a brawl than a wrestling match. Lita could have sworn she even saw a few bites in there.  
  
"Guys, get hold of yourselves," she muttered. "Stop punishing one another and just end the match before Triple H gets up."  
  
Tommy brought Raven down cold with a Dreamer DDT. But just as he went for the cover, Triple H sprang up, "miraculously" recovering from his previous state of unconsciousness.  
  
"He planned this. He set them up. That-" Lita shut her mouth as Triple H set Raven up for the pedigree.  
  
"No!" she yelled, as Raven's face slammed into the mat. A quick cover, 1-2-3, and it was over. Triple H remained World Heavyweight Champion.  
  
Lita rushed down to check on her boys, but Randy Orton and Ric Flair grabbed her from behind. Each picking her up by one arm, they carried her down to the ring and stood her before Triple H, still holding her arms behind her back. She stared up at him in total defiance.  
  
"Lita, forgive me that you're the only member from your team that I invited to this little get-together, but your boys couldn't make it. It's apparently very hard to go anywhere with a forklift parked in front of your lockerroom door.  
  
He stepped up to her, running a thumb down her cheek. "And as much as I'd love right now to just rip into that pretty little face of yours, I believe it would be bad manners towards my guest, who I'm sure would rather have the honor himself. And since he's been waiting so patiently, I'll introduce him now, the 4th member of Evolution."  
  
The deep chords of Kane's music hit. He walked down to the ring evenly, taking his time. He slid in and walked around Evolution and Lita to the center of the ring, seeming to ignore all of them, as he stood and brought his arms down sharply, signalling the fire that spurted out of the turnbuckles. Once the music was cut, he turned to where Orton and Flair held Lita.  
  
He stepped forward, smiling sinisterly, and Lita braced herself for the feeling of a hand around her neck. Then something happened that Lita never expected to see. Kane winked.  
  
It was so small and so quick that she wasn't sure if she'd imagined it or not. Kane turned to Triple H, still smiling.  
  
"For me?"  
  
Triple H nodded smugly. Kane grabbed him up and chokeslammed him nearly through the canvas so quickly that Randy and Ric had no time to stop it. "You really shouldn't have," he growled over Hunter's unmoving body.  
  
He turned to where Orton and Flair still held Lita almost like a shield in front of them. Stretching slowly, he popped his neck to one side then the other and loosened up his shoulders.  
  
Orton and Flair buckled. Pushing Lita into Kane's arms, they dove through the ropes and high-tailed it up the ramp.  
  
Kane looked down to where he held Lita gently by the elbows. "You okay?"  
  
She nodded, and he let her go as she slowly pulled back from him.  
  
"Good," he said in that low, whispering way of his, and climbed out of the ring, heading for the remainder of Evolution as Lita went to wake up Scott and Tommy.  
  
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So, we didn't win the title at Summerslam, but Triple H got knocked out! So what's going to happen next? What's Evolution going to do as punishment? What's Kane going to do as punishment when he catches Randy Orton and Ric Flair? Even scarier still, what's Lita gonna do as punishment toward Raven and Tommy? Tuned you shall stay, yes? 


	21. Chapter 20

It's 1:30 a.m. I have class in 6 1/2 hours. Accounting, for which I have not finished the homework. Do I care? No. I have a story banging around in my head, killing me. It must be let out.  
  
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Lita's wrath had not abated by the pre-RAW lockerroom meeting the next night. She stood in silent anger, glaring down at the men, particularly Raven and Tommy, who sat on opposite sides of the room, heads hung.  
  
After a long, awkward silence, Lita spoke.  
  
"It is the Monday after SummerSlam. And for God-knows-what reason, Triple H is still walking around with the World Heavyweight Championship belt around his waist. Does anyone care to explain this to me?"  
  
Heads shook "no" silently.  
  
"I didn't think so. So, moving on..." She addressed Spike. "Killer." His head snapped up. "Forget the mission for the cruiserweight belt; you're on for the world championship now. And you two..." She glared at Raven and Tommy. "You know the best moment in your match last night? When the two of you were fighting as a team, annihilating Triple H. So given your history and past success together, I want you to going after the tag team title belts."  
  
Both gaped at her, but neither dared to protest. "Scott? Tommy? Did you hear me?" They closed their mouths and nodded slowly, then hung their heads again in thought.  
  
They were all spared when a knock sounded on the door. Lita slammed it open, and there stood Kane.  
  
"May I help you?" She tried to cover the irritation in her voice, but she hated to be interrupted right in the middle of a good berating. Kane seemed almost comically intimidated by the much smaller woman in front of him.  
  
"I'm sorry, I, I just wanted to talk to you."  
  
"So talk."  
  
He glanced nervously around the room, and spoke a little too rapidly to sound relaxed and in control. "I was just wondering if since, we both have a common enemy now, maybe we could help each other."  
  
"You wanna join us?" Justin asked, a little shocked and humored.  
  
Kane shrugged and wouldn't look anyone in the eye.  
  
Lita studied him thoughtfully for a moment. "Come in."  
  
She shut the door behind him. "All right, so I guess we're having a sort of unplanned request for induction. Thoughts?"  
  
"But, he's not ECW," Tommy pointed up.  
  
"You shouldn't be speaking; I'm still mad at you," Lita told him. "Besides, if anyone in the WWE who didn't come through ECW was extreme, he's it."  
  
"He nearly set you on fire," Spike reminded her.  
  
"And Bubba and D-von have put me through a table, a few times. Big deal; we move on."  
  
"I wish you'd quit mentioning that," D-von murmured, rubbing the back of his neck.  
  
"Anyway, we put her through tables a few times, not through one table over and over," Bubba corrected.  
  
"Bro, not helping."  
  
"ANYWAY," Lita brought the meeting back to focus. "It's not like there's people who went through ECW that we'd really care to have with us."  
  
"Jerry Lynn," Rob muttered.  
  
"Dances with Dudley," Bubba, Spike, and D-von said together.  
  
"Ni Juventud Guerrera ni Super Crazy," Rey added.  
  
"Dawn Marie," Justin said and Lance smacked him upside the head.  
  
Tommy and Raven just looked at each other.  
  
"Dean Malenko," Lita muttered to herself.  
  
Rob raised his hand.  
  
"Yeah, what is it, you're not in elementary school anymore?"  
  
"Do I have permission to jump Dean Malenko backstage?"  
  
"Rob, that was three years ago, we didn't even like each other back then, Dean doesn't even wrestle anymore but works as a talent agent now, and Matt took care of it back then, anyway."  
  
A look of tragic nostalgia swept washed across Lita's face, and she brushed it away by getting back down to business. "Okay, so the subject at hand. Kane: in or not in?"  
  
"I say 'in'," Rob responded quietly.  
  
"If he thinks so, then I second the motion," Stevie said.  
  
Raven continued to glare at Tommy and said, "If we're going to so debase ourself by letting in degenerates such as we already have, then I don't see why not."  
  
Lita rolled her eyes. "I know that was just a thinly-veiled insult at Tommy, but I'll count it as a vote for Kane anyway. All in favor of passing the motion, say 'in'?"  
  
"He's in," the room chorused.  
  
"All right," she surveyed her boys proudly. "Kane," she turned to him briskly, but couldn't hide the smile in her eyes. "Welcome to ECW."  
  
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And now I must collapse. 


	22. Chapter 21

Wow, I didn't realize how unorganized and generally weak that last chapter was until I just reread it. That's what happens when you write when you should be sleeping, I suppose. Anyway, I hope I can make it up to y'all with this one. Sorry for the delay; I've been home all weekend.  
  
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RAW went fairly smoothly that night, with both Bischoff and Triple H accepting Spike's challenge with smirks. ECW chose to ignore their arrogance and focus on devising plans to ensure as fair a match as possible. Also, La Resistance agreed to let Tommy and Raven challenge for the titles if they could first beat the team of Chris Jericho and Christian the following week. Though they still didn't want to work together, neither Scott nor Tommy could resist a good challenge, so they agreed.  
  
Besides Triple H making a 20-minute speech about how he overcame two opponents, and Molly and Gail double-teaming her and injuring her neck after the match, it was a fairly uneventful night. However, they were all still so upset from the aftermath of SummerSlam that no one felt like going out afterwards.  
  
Lita walked around their floor of the hotel, checking on everybody in their rooms. Here was Justin, barely managing to look serious as Lance rambled about how he'd never love another woman like he'd loved Dawn Marie. "Yeah, I could see the true affection in the way she always poked you in the kidney," Justin teased, which launched a vicious (yet still, of course, utterly manly) pillowfight. Bubba and D-von, lying in bed pouting that they hadn't gotten to go out and pick a fight that night, like they usually did. Tommy and Raven, whom she'd forced to share a room so that they could work out their issues, pointedly ignoring each other, a little too pointedly. "They'll make up and be best friends again any day now," Lita thought with a bemused smile.  
  
Spike and Stevie, philosophically debating which was worse: being betrayed so often by your brothers that you have to team up with Tazz, or having a dominant girlfriend who made you wear pink tights. Lita stifled a laugh, and moved on to Kane and RVD's door, in front of which she paused. It was fully closed, and she could hear banging and shouting from the inside. She'd been startled by Rob's immediate re-acceptance of Kane, but she couldn't imagine someone as sweet as him pretending forgiveness as a lure for revenge. She knocked hesitantly, and when she received no answer, she flew the door open.  
  
"Oh, hey Li," Rob looked up from the game. "Care to join us in Hungry, Hungry Hippos?"  
  
Despite looking up to talk to her, Rob was still apparently winning. Kane hadn't mastered the strategy of any sort of timing; he just repeatedly banged the button with his fist. "Dude, you keep that up and we'll have to replace the game *again* tonight."  
  
Kane remained focused on his hippo, (the red one, of course), and continued playing intently. "That's it, I won," Rob commented when the round was over. "Hey Li, we're starting a new game, you can join in."  
  
"Um, that's okay," she apologized. "I just wanted to check on y'all. Have you worked things out, talked things through?"  
  
Despite the fact that they were two grown men playing Hungry, Hungry, Hippos, Lita was the one they looked at like she was crazy. "Um, everything's just cool now," Rob explained. When she still didn't seem to understand, he went a little deeper. "We're guys; we don't talk things out. We just know when things are cool, and things are cool."  
  
Kane nodded, and went back to looking at the gameboard, waiting like a predator for the marbles to be released.  
  
Rob scooted over to make room for her on the bed. "So, you in?"  
  
"Um, okay, but I've only got time for one round. I need to talk with Rey."  
  
"What about?" Kane growled, not achieving his goal of sounding casual.  
  
"Just to see if he's interested in going after the cruiserweight title, since he held it on Smackdown."  
  
"Oh, okay," both men visibly relaxed, though Rob maintained his cool just a little better.  
  
Lita plopped down on the bed in between the guys and took her place behind the pink hippo. "Girl," Rob snorted teasingly.  
  
"And proud of it. Okay, let's start."  
  
Lita effectively used the hippo's head to knock marbles away from Rob and towards Kane, letting him win.  
  
As Kane was celebrating his rare victory, Lita winked at Rob. "I guess your luck ran out. Anyway, it's late; I need to get going."  
  
"Do you need me to walk you back to your room?" Kane offered.  
  
Lita smiled sweetly. "It's two doors down; I think I can find it," she teased.  
  
Rob cut in. "Well, if you need anything-"  
  
"I won't. 'Night guys."  
  
"'Night, Li."  
  
Lita shook her head as she walked down the hall to Rey's room. Only two guys could be friends, turn into enemies, beat the crap out of each other, threaten to set one another on fire, become friends again, and sit in a hotel room playing "Hungry, Hungry Hippos." Two chicks? It would never work. Women seemed to hold weird grudges about stuff like that.  
  
Lita knocked on Rey's door. "?Si? ?Quien es?"  
  
"Es Lita."  
  
"Pues ven aca, bebe."  
  
She walked in, laughing. "Flirt."  
  
Rey waggled his eyebrows shamelessly. "Hey, you're the one who made, what, 11 guys fall in love with you?"  
  
Lita glared. "Oh, forgive me," Rey corrected himself. "I don't suppose they all count as 'love'. Kane's obsessed with you in some creepy way and I just want your body."  
  
She laughed and whacked him in the head with a pillow. "You little creep."  
  
"Y no olvidalo, mamacita."  
  
"Seriously, I wanted to talk to you about something."  
  
"No, I won't plant a hidden camera in the lockerroom when Raven goes to take a shower."  
  
"Perv! I just wanted to know if you were interested in going for the cruiserweight title, since you held it on SmackDown."  
  
"I thought you knew, it wasn't really about the title then. I just didn't care for the guy who had it before me."  
  
"Rey," she sighed. "I've forgiven him. I wish you would, too."  
  
"How can you say this, Lita? He abandoned you."  
  
"I'm sure he had his reasons for what he did."  
  
"Then they're not good enough."  
  
"Will you just shut up about it?" Lita yelled, tears springing to her eyes. "I don't care anymore, so it doesn't matter."  
  
"So, then this is you not caring?"  
  
"Leave me alone."  
  
"You're the one in my room."  
  
"Fine." She stalked to the door.  
  
"Lita, don't do this."  
  
"Do what?" Her voice was ice. "Get some sleep; we have to hit the road in the morning."  
  
"Lita, I'm sor-"  
  
She slammed the door.  
  
"Perdoname, mami," he muttered. "Estaba muy tonto."  
  
Lita stormed into her room and went over to check her cell phone for missed calls. Four new ones since earlier that evening, all from the same number.  
  
"Right when I thought I was over you," she murmured to herself. "You had to pick that time to finally call, didn't you Matt?"  
  
Turning off the light, she fell into bed with all her clothes on, crying.  
  
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Accounting homework, then sleep.  
  
*"?Si? ?Quien es?" - "Yes? Who is it?"  
  
*"Pues ven aca, bebe." - "Well come in baby."  
  
*"Y no olvidalo, mamacita." - "And don't you forget it, baby."  
  
*"Perdoname, mami. Estaba muy tonto." - "Forgive me. It was very dumb." 


	23. Chapter 22

So, it's finally happened. I knew this day would come. Sick of their own repetetive crap, WWE writers have started reading ff.net and have ripped off my storyline! Come on, was anyone else just waiting for say...RVD to come sprinting down and save Lita last night? I know I was! Then I realized, "No, RAW could never get that good; it's just an excuse for Evolution to dominate the show (again)." Anyway, so what about Jericho and Trish? Is anyone else sensing a bitter-over-her-friend's-victory heel turn for Trish? Is anyone else *hoping* for it? I know I am! Trish and Lita had some awesome battles back in the T&A versus Team Xtreme days. Oh, and how about Kane and Shane's lovely little sit-down dinner? Would those two make the coolest buddies or what? Oh, and in response to LittleKnux2008: The way my laptop is set up and since I can only upload stories written in notepad, I can't use Spanish characters. ?Tan frustrado, no? Anyway, more story time.  
  
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A dollar? Lita glared up at Triple H as he waved the bill in her face. True, Orton and Flair were not with him, but he'd brought along an even more intimidating one-man entourage, the recently-returned Batista. He stood behind Lita, blocking her escape. As much as she hated to turn her back on an enemy, she couldn't help focusing her stare-down on Triple H, telling him with her eyes where he could put his dollar.  
  
He advanced on her. Where were the boys? They'd be out here if they could, which was what scared her most. Hopefully they weren't injured. "All I wanted to do was come talk some smack about Molly before our rematch next week," she sighed to herself. "Only this bastard can screw up a plan *that* simple."  
  
"I thought I told you to dance for me," he sneered. "If you don't, then-"  
  
She snatched the dollar and crammed it into his mouth, deciding that shutting him up was definitely worth any violent retaliation. Batista grabbed her from behind, and held her arms back.  
  
"Here it comes," she thought, squeezing her eyes shut.  
  
A loud crack sounded through the arena as the chair slammed into Batista's back. It was then that Lita heard the music, an energizing, thumping drum beat intwined almost randomly with whining electric guitar chords. Batista collapsed behind her.  
  
The chair swung down, hard, on Triple H's skull, and he went down. The chair dropped to the mat, next to its lifeless victim. Matt turned to her.  
  
His eyes were desperate, begging. All the things he should have said before, all his apologies and explanations, were telegraphed to her in that one look. He moved his lips wordlessly, searching for the right thing to say, the thing that could make her forgive him.  
  
So many messages sent, in that short period of time. So many things he didn't have words strong enough for. "I'msorryForgivemeI'msorryIloveyouI'msorryIthoughtitwasbestIlovedyouIwasscaredI'msorryGivemeanotherchanceI'msorry."  
  
He stood there, towering over her but looking small and weak, terrified. He wore his old clothes, had his hair down loose and long, the silly Version 1.0 gimmick abandoned. He stood there, the man she'd loved.  
  
She searched her heart desperately for a thread of anger to hold onto, to shield herself with, and found none. She could only stare back at him, and all her eyes asked was, "Why?"  
  
He stepped towards her, and it was like before, so long ago. Her enemy lay defeated on the ground, having been taken out by a chairshot from Matt. They'd just been friends then; she hadn't asked for his protection, but he couldn't help but give it. And then, at the end, as they were celebrating her victory, he'd leaned toward her...  
  
Matt leaned toward her...  
  
His lips had found hers, quickly, impulsively...  
  
Matt kissed her, a gut reaction, and drew quickly back away...  
  
He'd backed off, apologizing...  
  
"I'm sorry," he said, shaking his head. "I just, I just thought, I'm sorry." He slid out of the ring, shaking his head...  
  
He'd ran off from her, cursing his own stupidity, all the way back up the ramp...  
  
She slid out of the ring, stalked towards him...  
  
She'd followed him, then, after recovering from her moment of shock. He'd avoided her, still apologizes...  
  
Lita put her hand on his lips...  
  
Then she'd leaned forward...  
  
Lita pulled him toward her, kissed him like she had that first time, in forgiveness and reconciliation. The past and the present merged in that one moment, as their lips pressed against each other in one flesh.  
  
"I'm sorry," was all he could murmur, over and over. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. I don't know why I did. I was scared."  
  
"Don't," she said against his lips, running her fingers through his long black strands. "It's okay now; we're gonna be okay now."  
  
"I loved you so much, and when you got hurt, when I realized I could lose you, it terrified me. So, I saw an opportunity to be free of my responsibility, to be free of the people I loved, and I jumped."  
  
"Shhh...I know, it's okay. I'm fine now; we're okay."  
  
"I don't want to lose you again."  
  
"You won't." She buried her face in his shoulder, breathing in his heavy, clean scent, soap and man. She closed her eyes, safe and unworried in this moment.  
  
He wrapped his arms around her, pulled her as close as the laws of physics would allow, stroked her hair.  
  
Lita kissed his cheek, and opened her eyes, peeking over his shoulder.  
  
ECW stood waiting at the top of the ramp.  
  
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Aaah!!!!!!!!!!!! What's gonna happen? I wish I knew! Unfortunately, the drastic amounts of coffee I'm getting my fuel from are taking my head in all sorts of screwed-up directions and I'm banging out chapters without knowing what they mean or signify. Is Matt a good or bad guy? Don't ask me, 'cause I have no freakin' idea! I'm so buzzed right now that I could probably figure out some crazy way to turn Triple H face! (Okay, so I would never go *that* far, but y'all get the idea.) Anyway, I have some assignments to do, so I hope to write the next chapter tonight (if only so that I myself can know what happens). Stupid multiple personalities! Later y'all. 


	24. Chapter 23

Aaah...There is no way I can explain how much I love the reviews I've gotten so far for the last chapter. Strong reactions, whether good or bad, mean everything to me. It's interesting to see how some people are like, "Yay, Matt!" and some people are like, "%#*@ Matt!" Myself, I'm kinda like, "I put Matt in this story? Huh?" Like I said, blame my other personality.  
  
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Lita looked over Matt's shoulder at the rest of them, her team. Justin and Lance were shifting uncomfortably, looking anywhere but down at her. Stevie didn't try to hide his bewilderment, staring at the scene before him and running a hand through his hair. Bubba and D-von glared down, all business, showing no emotion. Spike tried to imitate his big brothers, but his bottom lip trembled with rage. Tommy leaned on his kendo stick, an unspoken threat. Raven sat slumped back against the screen on the stage, tapping the back of his head softly again and again on the metal, eyes closed. Rey only stared down at her, arms crossed, demanding an explanation. Kane stood, shoulders slumped, head down, hands clenching and unclenching into fists. But it was Rob who caught her.  
  
Rob's eyes, wide and wounded. He looked at her, betrayal breaking his face, opening a floodgate of tears and he stalked away, pushing through the others to hurry backstage. Lita pulled back from Matt, confused.  
  
He smiled down at her, happy just to have her in his arms again. She faked a smile up at him, nodding when he asked if she was all right. He wrapped an arm around her and they walked back up the ramp.  
  
ECW parted for them as they went by. Lita looked around at them, asking for an explanation for their coldness, but none would meet her eye. Matt seemed oblivious to all of it, wrapped up completely in the two of them.  
  
Shaking her head, Lita walked with him backstage.  
  
She didn't see or hear from any of the rest of ECW for the entire week. So she spent it with Matt, catching up. He was a better listener than before, begging her to tell him all about what it'd been like, leading such a powerful team.  
  
So she told him everything, from recruiting the guys one by one, to especially things he was interested about, like how they'd subdued Kane. He was congratulatory on all the right points, sympathetic at the proper moments, and laughed at all the correct places, like her retelling of Bubba and D-von's apologies to Spike in the hospital.  
  
The following Sunday, Lita lay snuggled in Matt's arms on their hotel bed, watching "Heat". Things had come about so quickly, gone back to normal so soon. Matt was ten times better than she'd remembered him. He was gentler, sweeter, more considerate, nowhere near as jealous as he once was. "He's really trying to make it up to me," Lita thought, leaning up for a quick peck. He smiled at her. "What was that for?" She shrugged. He leaned down, pressed his lips more fully against hers. She responded desperately and he rolled over on top of her, deepening it. They were interrupted by a knock on the door.  
  
"It could be one of the guys," Lita tried to sit up, and Matt pushed her gently back down. "Don't worry, I'll get it."  
  
She lay there, watching the t.v., listening to the sounds of him opening the door, and his rich Carolina drawl. "I was wondering when y'all 'ud be here."  
  
"Is she here?"  
  
"Yeah, she's right in the other room."  
  
Lita sat up, panicking. She knew that voice.  
  
Triple H and his acolytes walked into the room, Matt behind. Lita sprang up, backing into the corner, her eyes trying to take in all her enemies at once and the fastest route to the door. "Never make it; I'll never make it," she thought wildly.  
  
"Li," Matt tried to calm her. "It's okay; we've struck a deal. No one's going after you anymore."  
  
"What deal?" she asked hoarsely.  
  
"You're safe. No one's going to hurt you."  
  
"WHAT DEAL?"  
  
Triple H sat down on the bed, smoothing his coat down. "It's nothing drastic, no need for such concern. Merely information and the promise that none of ECW will go after my title in exchange for your protection."  
  
Lita glared up at Matt. "What information?"  
  
"Look, it's nothing that's going to get you in any trouble."  
  
"What information? What's he talking about?"  
  
Triple H answered her questions on Matt's behalf. "It was smart of you, to think of using something new, an 'opposite element', perhaps, to deal with Kane. And it certainly helps me out, to assure that big red freak never tries to interfere in any of Evolution's plans ever again."  
  
"No," Lita shook her head, sinking to the floor. "No. You couldn't give them Kane. How could you?"  
  
"How could you trust him? He nearly killed you. He would have turned on you at any minute. I'm just looking out for you."  
  
"Don't. I was doing much better before."  
  
"We told you, Matt," Triple H smiled. "She's so ungrateful. Not to mention unloyal. Did you really think she'd be content with just you after all the *various* men whose company she's been enjoying?"  
  
"Shut up; you don't know what you're talking about," Lita snapped from her curled up position on the floor. She wanted to leap to her feet, make a run for it, but with the four, make that five, Matt counted as one of them now, men blocking her way, she knew she didn't stand a chance. Not to mention how badly her head was spilling and the fact that she felt she could be sick at any moment. "Stupid girl hormones that control emotion," she muttered to herself, eliciting some odd looks from the others in the room.  
  
Shaking his head, Triple H continued on. "Matt, I didn't want you to have to see this, but let us show you what your lady has been up to while you were away. Randy."  
  
Randy handed Triple H a plain, unmarked tape. Triple H placed it in the VCR and used the remote to switch it over to the proper channel.  
  
It was surveillance, Lita could see that much. It didn't take long to see what it was of, either. Her.  
  
"You followed me and taped me? You're a sicker bastard than I realized," Lita muttered. Triple H snatched her up by her hair and turned her head to face the television. "You tell me who's the sick one. Whose room are you going in now?"  
  
"Bastardo chengado. Those are my teammates. I'm not allowed to check on them and discuss strategy?"  
  
"Do you honestly think I'm stupid enough to believe that a slut like you is traipsing around that hotel for strategic planning purposes? No one is that naive."  
  
"You expect everyone to believe that the four of you are heterosexual, which seems like far more of a stretch to me. Especially for your little lap dog Orton, there."  
  
Randy shoved her down on the bed. "Do you want me to prove to you how much of a man I am?"  
  
Lita squirmed uncomfortably. "No, that won't be necessary. I'll take your word on it."  
  
Matt glanced away from the t.v. screen to shoot a glare at Orton. "You promised you wouldn't hurt her."  
  
"I thought after seeing this you honestly wouldn't care anymore," Triple H replied.  
  
"I don't," Matt answered coldly. "But I don't want any blood on my hands."  
  
"Fair enough. But we really don't intend to hurt her. She's far too valuable right now as she is. Anyway," Triple H stood up, pulling a fat white envelope out of his inner coat pocket. He handed it to Matt. "The amount we promised."  
  
Matt counted the money, seeming pleased with what he found. "Good deal. Nice doing business with you."  
  
"No," Lita moaned from the bed. "That's not true. Business? Please...it's not true."  
  
Matt leaned down over her, whispering in her ear. "Sorry, Li, but I'll be heading back to my old show now. 'It just scares me how in love I am with you,'" he said in a mockingly sweet voice. "And it really scares me to think what ECW would do to me if I stuck around long enough for them to find out what's happened. So," he kissed her gently. "Bye."  
  
Orton let her up after Matt had left and closed the door. She sat trembling, cornered like a rabbit by foxes on every side. "What are you going to do?"  
  
"Make sure your precious boys meet our demands."  
  
"So I'm a hostage then," she surmised matter-of-factly. Four heads nodded.  
  
"But it doesn't matter whether ECW agrees to your terms or not, you're still going to do to me what you want, aren't you?" she asked slowly.  
  
They nodded again.  
  
"But, even knowing this, the guys will do whatever you say just so they can take every possible chance to assure that I won't be hurt, not that it will help at all."  
  
"You're a smart girl," Triple H complimented her. "And you know how we think. You'd actually make a really nice addition as the first female member of Evolution."  
  
"Go to hell."  
  
"But it's *that* kind of problem with authority that makes you so hard to deal with."  
  
"You have no authority over me."  
  
He had her pinned in an instant, his hands wrapped tightly around her neck. She fought and squirmed as he squeezed the life out of her. Having no better alternatives, she spit in his face.  
  
He reared back from her, wiping his face in disgust.  
  
Lita only remembered the first punch.  
  
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So, I am one sick mofo, huh? Evolution has Lita captive. Obviously, this sucks. They're gonna use her as bait. Even suckier. Now I have to think of somewhere good/new/creative to go with this. The suckiest of all. Oh well. Time for me to mellow out by watching "The Silence of the Lambs" (again). What, you don't think Hannibal Lecter's sexy in a way? I said "in a way". Not even in a little way? No? Well, then try reading the books; he's cooler in that. 


	25. Chapter 24

As much as I love Matt in real life, I don't love him in this story. Simply because he'd be too much of another loose end to incorporate. So we move on with our usual bad guys, Evolution, they that everyone loves to hate. Now I shall continue.  
  
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Lita woke up in the backseat of a limo, flanked by Orton and Batista. Flair and Helmsley were across from her. "Ah, Ms. Dumas, lovely of you to rejoin us."  
  
She flipped him off.  
  
"Now, such crude behavior from such a beautiful lady? That certainly won't do."  
  
She gingerly touched the aching spot below her left eye. Oh yeah, that was gonna bruise. "Like you're one to talk about crude behavior," she countered. "Walking around in a $3,000 suit ganging up on a woman. It appears that, despite your expensive clothes and sweet ride, you're still the truck-stop low-life that walked around in a denim and leather jacket for the better part of last year. No one ever bought all that 'blue-blood' crap, anyway. You're just Hunter. The guy who's steroid use is second only to Steiner's."  
  
Triple H leaned toward her, trying to be intimidating, and Lita laughed in his face. "Trying to prove my own point for me? You know it won't do to hurt me. To even prove that you have me, you'll have to show me on the video screen to the boys, let me talk to them. And if I look all beat up, there'll be no deal. They'll hunt you, then. They'll hunt you down like the dog you are. And they'll put you out of your misery."  
  
"You don't even understand what's going on?"  
  
"Don't I?" Lita pondered philosophically. "You're 'The Champ', which you like to think makes you something great. But you only hold onto that belt so desperately because it's all you have to show anyone you're worth anything. You don't even trust your followers here; how could you after your disastrous break-up with the Billion Dollar Princess, Daddy's little girl? So you don't even trust the rest of your team because you know that the very second you lost your influence, your strength, they'd turn on you."  
  
"Shut up."  
  
"I bet your big boy Batista here would be the one to make the first jump at a hostile takeover," she patted the bicep of the man sitting next to her, and he looked away out the window. "In fact, he looks a bit bigger than you, *definitely* in better shape. I'm sure he could take you out if he wanted." She snickered. "I doubt you've given him a shot at sparring with you, for that very reason. But he sticks with you, follows your orders, I guess 'cause the money's good, but not only that, he's stupid, and he's a coward."  
  
Batista turned and glared at her and she nodded. "It's true. He's stupid to think that you'll ever do any more than throw him a bone here or there, to think you'll ever let him rise to your position. And he's a coward that he won't challenge you for it. He won't because, he's relatively unknown in this business, and he thinks teaming up with Evolution will keep him from slipping through the cracks. And what about your little whipping boy here, Orton," she turned to the man she was referring to. "'Legend Killer'? You look like a 12-year-old on steroids. I keep expecting your tattoos to rub off during a match. But we all know why *you* stick around."  
  
He looked desperately to their fearless leader. "Please just let me shut her up." Lita continued on, ignoring him.  
  
"You're a third-generation wrestler. So of course you grew up watching it, and around that tender time of puberty, someone," she nodded towards Triple H, "made his way onto the scene. You admired him, didn't you? He was big, and tough, and cold; what'd your father had always laid out as the definition of a man. So you watched him, and hero-worship starting running a little too deep. Did you have a DX poster on your wall, perhaps right over your bed, beside your pillow, so that you could look at it as you went to sleep? So that you could-"  
  
Orton backhanded her. Lita whipped her face around at him. "I'm warning you. Hurt me and there'll be no deal. And I'll unleash all of ECW on you at once, and you'll all be on the shelf for a long time...those of you who survive, that is."  
  
Triple H smirked at her. "And why should they listen to you anymore, anyway? Why should they care? You betrayed them."  
  
"Pretty sh*tty logic coming from the guy who kidnapped me to use as a bargaining chip with the very group you're referring to. Besides, ECW is loyal. Not like your old man sitting beside you." She turned her focus on Flair now. "Sure, he used to be something great. But that 'used to be' refers to a *very* long time ago. Back when the world didn't recoil in pity and disgust every time he took his robe off for a match. Now, dreaming for the days far behind him, he clings desperately to you, hoping you can keep him alive in this business. A drowning man will push another underwater, anything for just another breath. And that's what he does to you. Is he even really helping you any? This geriatric who can hardly take a few steps without his face turning tomato-red, much less wrestle? You know, I think you keep him around for the same reason that Orton sticks with you. You grew up admiring him, and it's like a dream now, to work with him. But his glory days are long gone. Yours will be soon, too."  
  
Having finished her rhetoric, Lita looked around at the four men she sat with in the back of the limo. Triple H looked stunned, Flair's face was almost purple with fury, Batista was thoughtful, and Orton seemed very, very uncomfortable. She smirked back at Triple H. "Not so much fun when the mind games are used on you. Turnabout's a b*tch, ain't it?"  
  
"You're the only b*tch I see here."  
  
She tsk-tsked. "So uncreative. Not to say I wasn't expecting it. So..." She stretched, making herself more comfortable. "Does this limo fit in the pick-up lane at Bojangle's? I'm starving."  
  
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heeheehee...I really had fun writing this chapter. So, it's not that crucial to the plotline. Big deal. Who said story had to be pure plot? Then we wouldn't have lovely little one-shots and vignettes. Anyway, I hope y'all liked it as much as I did. 


	26. Chapter 25

Okay, just a note: No, I don't think Orton's gay, I just thought the taunting was funny, since he does kinda follow Triple H around like a little guard dog. Second note: Orton's freakin' dead sexy and I'd jump his bones the first chance I got. :Ahem: Okay, I think I'm back in control, now. Anyway, let's see where this goes, huh?  
  
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Lita sat in the back of the limo, happily munching on her Bojangle's fried chicken and slurping syrupy-sweet tea. "So, I guess we're still somewhere in the South, considering they don't have Bojangle's up North," she muttered thoughtfully.  
  
"You think you can intimidate me?" Triple H asked. "The windows are tinted. You don't even know what state we're in anymore. You were out cold for a while."  
  
"Doesn't matter," she shot back. "I'll figure it out, and my boys will come and get me."  
  
"Your boys probably think you've run off somewhere with the Hardy kid. They probably aren't looking for you too hard."  
  
"They will."  
  
"But not until after we go live on RAW tomorrow night and make our proposal. And by the time they realize we've got you, they'll be willing to agree to anything we say."  
  
Lita shrugged. "You're taking a gamble. You can't avoid them forever. And believe me, they'll kill you."  
  
Triple H smirked at her. "You really think that I, the Cerebral Assassin, didn't cover all the loose ends? We're not going to promise them to let you go; we're going to promise them to not hurt you. You still don't get it, do you? As of tonight, you're a permanent hostage."  
  
"...Oh." Lita said quietly.  
  
Hunter nodded smugly.  
  
"Well, that bites." She sagged back into the seat cushion, closing her eyes so she wouldn't have to see Evolution laughing at her. The limo rolled to a smooth stop.  
  
"We're here at your new home. Dave, get the blindfold."  
  
Batista wrapped the handkerchief around her eyes and tied it tightly. He then held her wrists so that she wouldn't go to untie it. Hearing the car doors open, she felt herself being pulled out across the smooth leather seat.  
  
Batista stood her up, somewhat gently, outside. "Now's as good as ever," she thought. She mulekicked his shin, hard, and darted off, one hand reaching up to tug at the blindfold. She'd only gotten a peek when she was tackled from behind and knocked onto the hard concrete.  
  
"Please don't do that," Batista said as he pulled her to her feet again, readjusting the blindfold. "Are you okay?" he muttered nonchalantly.  
  
She turned her head to the sound of his voice and nodded. Holding her arms behind her, he pushed her forward a little, and Lita walked along obediently, glad that the blindfold was hiding the smile in her eyes. She'd seen enough in that one glimpse to make her very, very happy.  
  
A large white building and the letters "Western Wa".  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
When they removed the blindfold, she was in a large bedroom with a huge adjoining bath and kitchen, complete with hot tub and bar. "I guess Evolution gets only the best penthouse suites, eh?" she taunted.  
  
"There are a million penthouse suites in the South," Triple H reminded her. "It means nothing. Besides, why don't you have a look at your lovely window view?"  
  
She did. The window was painted over black.  
  
"You've been planning this for a while."  
  
"Since the night you dared defy me."  
  
"Just can't let go of a good grudge."  
  
"True, I would be lying if I said this was all business, nothing personal. And I am expecting your company to be a true pleasure."  
  
"You can't keep me forever."  
  
"No. Only until you die."  
  
With that threat, he turned and headed for the door. "I'm leaving Randy here to keep you company. Maybe you should get some rest." He turned and threw her down onto the bed, and snapping his fingers, walked off with Flair and Batista in tow.  
  
Lita scrambled up to a sitting position and glared at Orton. "You hurt me and there won't be any deal."  
  
"Don't worry," he leaned over her. "I won't bruise that pretty little face. You just do what you're told, and we'll get along fine."  
  
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Ugh, I hate being rushed, but my ride's waiting downstairs, and I need to pack, so later! 


	27. Chapter 26

Dude, I think someone ought to write a fanfic based solely on previous reviews. I'd like to. Some of the reviews I get are so intense/funny/insightful/complex that they'd make great stories. On another note, did anyone see Survivor Series last night? What were Vince and Shawn doing, having a bleed-off? And was anyone else begging for them to just stop hurting each other during Kane and Shane's match? I thought I could handle violence, but, Kane's head was just hitting that ambulance a little too hard. The funniest part was when Shane was climbing up on top of the ambulance to jump off and my dad is in the living room screaming, "You're a billionaire, kid! You don't have to do this crap to yourself!" Yeah, God love the McMahons, for they are some crazy rich white folk. Anyway, I was disappointed with the outcome of Lita's match, obviously, but I do not fear. She'll have the belt soon enough.  
  
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When Batista came in at midnight to switch off on guard duty, Lita was nowhere to be found. "What happened?" he asked of Orton, who was stalking out, half-covering his face. He only pointed to the bed, and slammed the door behind him.  
  
Batista walked over to the side of the bed and squatted down. He could see Lita peeking out from the shadows. She was not only under the bed, but also squeezed up flat against where the headboard joined the wall.  
  
"What are you doing down there?"  
  
"Pretending to hide; what does it look like? Now go away and let me imagine that you don't know I'm down here."  
  
"Why hide where everyone knows where you are?"  
  
"Can you reach me? Can you pull me out?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Neither could Orton. That's the idea. The one advantage to y'all being so much bigger than me. I can fit; you can't. Therefore, you can't get me."  
  
"That explains the black eye Randy was so desperately trying to hide from me. I guess he came at you and you knocked him then scrambled under there." There was no answer.  
  
Batista sighed and took a seat in the nearby armchair. "I'm not going to hurt you."  
  
"If I had a dime for every time I heard that one..." Lita snorted. "I guess I could afford to have you all kidnapped, instead. Besides, that's really funny coming from you. If you haven't noticed, we're enemies. You've kidnapped me, you're helping keep me captive...what do you want me to believe?"  
  
"I want you to believe what you yourself said back there in the limo. This is just a job for me."  
  
"Then you're very good at your work."  
  
"Have I made any effort to harm you physically? Think hard, and tell me honestly."  
  
"Just a week ago you were holding my arms for Triple H to hit me. Not long after you came back."  
  
"I knew he wasn't going to hit you. We'd planned that moment for Matt to run in and knock me with a phony chairshot. Or did you think your little cruiserweight had really saved you from us two big guys for real?"  
  
A pale hand appeared, and then an arm, and a shoulder as Lita pulled herself out from under the bed. With relative composure and dignity, she sat up on the bed and smoothed her hair and clothes out.  
  
"Pretty dusty under there?"  
  
"Not so much as you'd think. The maids must have been immaculate."  
  
Batista snorted. "Only the best for the Champ."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
There was a heavy silence.  
  
"...Why are you doing this to me?"  
  
Batista looked up, startled at the vulnerability in her voice. "...Why won't you let me go? We really, we just, we just wanted a fair shot, you know? And for that, I get kidnapped? You seem sane, maybe it's possible, but I don't trust any of the others."  
  
"Are you saying you trust me?"  
  
"Not at all. You're just a welcome change to Orton. He's been trying to prove his masculinity to me ever since I made the insinuations about him in the limo."  
  
Batista was quiet. "I'll make sure he gets sent out on errands tomorrow with H. You won't have to worry about him all day."  
  
"No, I'll have to worry about you. Or that creepy old bastard Flair. Nothing you can say is going to make me feel any better, if that's your goal. How can you expect me to feel safe or content given the situation?"  
  
"I don't," he sighed. "I was just trying to make things a little better for you."  
  
"Then get me the f*ck out of here.  
  
"I can't."  
  
"So I was right. You are a coward."  
  
"It's not that simple."  
  
"Forget it. Screw it. Just give me a little bit of space so I can get to sleep without having to think about the fact that you're sitting there watching me."  
  
She lay down on the bed facing away from him, hugging the spare pillow against her. He could tell by her slight, shaking shoulders that she was crying.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The boys fidgeted anxiously in the lockerroom the following night. RAW went live in five minutes. They had yet to see or hear from Lita.  
  
Rob paced the floor, punching one fist into another. "Stop. You're making me nervous," Spike said agitatedly.  
  
"You should be nervous," Raven muttered. "This is a bad sign."  
  
"This isn't like her," Rob said aloud to himself as he walked. "She should be here by now. She wouldn't abandon us."  
  
"She already abandoned us," Kane whispered lowly from his dark corner. "She betrayed me," he said more to himself. "Just like everyone else."  
  
"That's not true!" Rob yelled. "She'd be here if she could. Something's holding her back. Something's wrong."  
  
Bischoff picked that sensitive moment to burst in rudely. "Aah, I see the women's champion has still not made an appearance. Too bad. I guess she'll have to forfeit her title match to Gail tonight. When, if, you do see her again, will you notify her for me that she has a belt to hand over? Oh, and Spike, my apologies, but we're having to reschedule your title match against Triple H until next week. The Champ just can't make it tonight."  
  
The team seethed silently at Bischoff's blatant injustice. Fighting him unorganized as they were would only make it worse, and there was no one there to channel their strength, give it force and direction. She was still missing.  
  
"Oh, by the way Rob. Your match against Orton is first. You'd better be getting out there. See ya' guys!"  
  
Rob waited until he left, then hurriedly tied his boots on and did some quick stretching. "Be careful out there, man," Justin warned.  
  
"You should be more worried about Orton. I'm sure that little Evolution punk knows something about what's going on, and I'm going to beat it out of him." He strode out of the room and made it to the top of the ramp just as his music was hitting.  
  
Rob stood in the center of the ring, waiting for his opponent. He couldn't hide his confusion when Evolution's music hit and Flair and Orton walked out in their street clothes. "What's going on?" he mouthed, arms wide.  
  
Orton sneered at him, full of self-pleasure. Grabbing a mic, he announced, "Sorry, Rob, but we're going to have to interrupt this scheduled match for an important announcement from your World Heavyweight Champion."  
  
The Titantron screen flickered and Triple H appeared, smiling.  
  
"Good evening. I'm appearing via live satellite feed from, well..." he chuckled. "Where from isn't useful for you to know. However, I am virtually present in order to make negotiations. A trade-off, of sorts. You see, I'm tired of your little team going after my championship belt, my trophy. So I've taken it upon myself to deprive you of your most...beloved...trophy."  
  
He moved back from the camera to include the rest of the room in the screen. Lita was sitting, head down, tied to a chair.  
  
"Now I have this pretty little trophy for myself," he leaned toward her, one hand stroking her cheek. Lita spat at him and turned her face away. He grabbed her hair, wrenched her head up so that she was staring defiantly into the camera. The view was clear enough that Rob could see one solitary tear trickle like a diamond down her cheek. He shook his head in pain, willing himself to disbelief.  
  
"Look at your trophy, Rob. I'm not giving her up. But I will promise to take care of her. If you agree to my conditions."  
  
Rob nodded, and mouthed, "Let me talk to her," pointing to himself and to the screen to get his point across.  
  
Triple H nodded. "I thought you would make that request, and, from the goodness of my heart, I had already decided to grant it." He stood up, walking away from the camera, and whispered in Lita's ear, "Don't try anything," before heading off to the far side of the room to watch.  
  
"Hey Li," Rob tried hesitantly.  
  
She made herself smile for him, and nodded. "Hey."  
  
"Are you..." his throat caught on his words, and he swallowed down a sob. "Are you okay?"  
  
"I'm all right," she lied, hoping he wouldn't catch the fading bruise on her forehead from Sunday night, half-hidden behind her hair.  
  
"Have they...have they hur..." he ducked his head, covering his eyes with one hand.  
  
"I'm okay," Lita lied again, less convincingly this time as tears sprang to her eyes. "I miss you, all of y'all. Oh, please don't cry," she begged as he broke down.  
  
"No llora," she pleaded again, and Rob looked up at her face on the screen, and through the two monitors and miles of wire and equipment, a look of understanding passed between them. "Rob, escucha a mi. Necesito decir este muy rapido." (Rob, listen to me. I need to speak very quickly.)  
  
Rob nodded, focusing intently.  
  
"Ellos van a atacar Kane con agua. Mi novio..." (They're going to attack Kane with water. My boyfriend...) she made a disgusted face. "...viejo los dijo. Bastardo. Cualquier, tu tienes advertir Kane." (...My old boyfriend told them. Bastard. Whatever, you have to warn Kane."  
  
"El advertira. Pero, ?donde estas?" (I will. But where are you?)  
  
"Estoy a un balneario a traves de la hospital de Wake Occidental. Estoy muy acerca de mi casa. Ven por mi. Rob," (I'm at a hotel across from Western Wake Hospital. I'm very near my home. Come for me. Rob...) she looked into the camera desperately. "Salvame. Por favor...Te amo. Te necesito, mas ahora de antes." (Save me. Please...I love you. I need you, more now than ever before.)  
  
"Estoy veniendo. Te amo." (I'm coming. I love you.)  
  
"That's more than enough," Triple H's voice cut in harshly. "Though I must say, that was an endearing little exchange. Of course, to understand what was going on, I had to walk over there in the next room, watch RAW, and go to the trouble of selecting the translation service on the remote and read what you two were saying in English subtitles. So..." he smirked at Rob's devastated expression. "By the time you and the rest of your little buddies even make it into this state, we'll be well on our way to somewhere new." The humor left his expression and his voice. "And your stubborn little b*tch here is going to be nice and unconscious for the entire trip. You know our demands. Do not screw with us."  
  
The screen went black.  
  
Triple H turned violently to Lita, knocking the chair she was trapped in over so that she fell flat on her back, her head bumping painfully. Hunter leaned over into her face. "I tried to be polite. I tried to treat you civilly." His voice was merciless and rough as sandpaper, his breathing harsh and ragged. "But you've figuratively and literally spit in my face for all my kind accomodations. So you've revoked your rights to be treated as anything other than what you are, a conniving little whore." His mouth crashed down upon hers, his tongue shoving down. She coughed, trying to breathe, and bit down, hard.  
  
Triple H jerked away, staring at her in surprise as his hand trailed to his mouth. "I can taste his blood," she pondered thoughtfully. "I really got him good that time."  
  
"I guess I deserved that," he apologized sarcastically. "There's still time...perhaps I should have bought a lady *dinner* first." He clapped his hands twice, sharply. Batista appeared at the doorway. He glanced down in surprise at where Lita still lay tied to a chair on the floor, but quickly drew himself back up to attention.  
  
"Dave, when will dinner be ready?"  
  
"The cook has already prepared it."  
  
"Oh, it's 9:30 already? Well, would you send a plate up for Miss Dumas?"  
  
"Absolutely."  
  
Batista left, and Triple H proceeded to untie Lita, his hands lingering a little too long in all the inappopriate places. She was glad when Batista had returned with the dinner cart.  
  
He wheeled the cart in front of her, removing the lid off the silver platter to reveal a thick sirloin. "Check out the quality of this dinnerware," he informed her. "Real silver. You can tell by how nice and heavy it is."  
  
Lita met his eyes expressionlessly. His face was equally devoid of emotion. "See? Nothing but the best for Evolution," Triple H bragged. Batista smiled at his leader, but none of it reached the coldness in his eyes. Dave left the room and left them alone.  
  
Lita picked at her food. "Come on now, you don't have all night," Hunter prodded her.  
  
"I'm surprised you didn't rush us away as soon as you found out what I'd told RVD."  
  
"It will take them hours to get from Anaheim to here."  
  
"It would take them hours to get from Anaheim to here," Lita agreed, taking a bit of her steak. "...If they were in Anaheim."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Oh, nothing," she said, taking a swallow of wine. "Just that, we're in Anaheim next week. You must have checked the schedule wrong."  
  
"Then where are they this week?" Triple H's voice didn't have the full amount of his useful confidence.  
  
"Pontiac."  
  
"You're bluffing," he didn't sound like he believed it.  
  
"Am I?" she took another bite of steak, smiling at him.  
  
"Oh, sh*t."  
  
He jumped for his feet, heading for the door. "DAVE! We need to leave!"  
  
"Oh, Champ?"  
  
He turned to her, snarling. "What?"  
  
The silver platter connected with his skull quite nicely.  
  
"Come to think of it, I do think they're in Anaheim this week. My bad." Lita strolled from the room.  
  
Batista was waiting for her at the front door. "He getting up any time soon?" he asked, his back still towards her. Lita shook her head, realized he couldn't see her, and said, "No."  
  
"Good. You still got that big plate?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Then you'd better make this believable. You're gonna have to hit me pretty hard, especially if you're gonna get a knot to form there. They have to believe that you got me from behind before I even knew what was coming."  
  
"I know. They'd never buy that I got you in a fair battle. Even if I was armed."  
  
"Exactly. So don't hold back."  
  
"Thanks. But don't worry," Lita said as she swung the platter down with all her strength.  
  
Batista hit the floor with a thud. "Sorry about that," she leaned down to pat his face. Squaring her shoulders, she marched off down the highway. She was sure they'd have a phone she could use at the hospital.  
  
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Sorry if that chapter was a little too long, but I just loved how it was all playing out in my head, so I just let it run. Anyway, let me know what you think. 


	28. Chapter 27

Ugh, I'm gagging and choking 'cause my roommate sprays this nasty body spray type stuff all over herself every time she walks out the room and it gets everywhere. Ugh, anyway, I guess y'all aren't here for me to rant about my irritating skank-ho roommate, so I'll get down to business. First of all, does anyone know where I could find a good lawyer who is well-versed in plagiarism cases? 'Cause I think I've got a pretty solid case against the writers on RAW. I mean, come on, what happened with her and Matt last night? Unbelievable! (Though, I did think Christian using his favor for her was so precious. I love that guy now. And I loved that little cute dog Lita was carrying around in a bag, but I digress.) Oh, and what about Kane joining Evolution. What the-? :sigh: Vince McMahon, look out! I'm coming for my royalties! Oh, in other news, yeah, I know it's kinda trippy having Batista not be a total heel. But I remembered liking him back when he first joined the WWE because I read somewhere about him having a young daughter and, I don't know, I just got this mental image of him as this guy grudgingly working for a boss he can't stand just for the paycheck. He's just not a very convincing bad guy to me. Too quiet, I suppose. Plus I think he's kinda hot. Really nice body, great tattoos, and a face like a Roman aristocrat. But again, I digress. So, let's move on with the next chapter.  
  
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The guys had rented a limo once they got to North Carolina just so that they could all be reunited with her at once. However, as happy as everyone was to see each other, there wasn't much celebration since Lita crashed from emotional exhaustion almost the second after everyone was loaded in the vehicle. It took them a couple of hours to ride to the Charlotte airport, where they would be taking their flight to Pontiac. Since it would be around 3:00 a.m. when they reached the airport, everyone slumbered along the way.  
  
Rob woke up around quarter till 2 to see Lita still slumped against Raven's chest. For his part, Scott was wide awake, staring out the window and stroking her hair thoughtfully. "She's still out?" Rob whispered to him. He nodded slightly. "They broke her, didn't they?" Rob asked. Raven shook his head. "This one can't be broken. Bruised and torn maybe, but never broken. She's been through a lot in the past week or so. She's worn out. I hope she wakes up just enough to board the plane and then we can get her to a hotel in Michigan where she can rest some more."  
  
"Yeah," Rob agreed quietly.  
  
"You ever have pets when you were growing up?" Raven asked.  
  
Rob was startled at the random question from the normally brooding and private wrestler.  
  
"Yeah..."  
  
"What kind?"  
  
"I had cat that was my own."  
  
"What was its name?"  
  
"Rufus."  
  
Raven snorted. "A cat named Rufus."  
  
"Hey, come on, I was little, only 6 or 7. She was my first pet."  
  
"She?" Raven covered his hand with one mouth and turned to the window, trying not to jostle Lita with his laughing. "Okay, sorry, but you have to admit..."  
  
"Yeah, yeah, I know. Like I said, I was young."  
  
"So...Rufus...was she an indoor or outdoor cat."  
  
"She liked to stay outside, but we'd keep her inside sometimes in the winter...Look, where are you going with this?"  
  
Raven looked across the dark backseat at Rob and asked quietly, "What would she do when you brought her inside?"  
  
Rob opened his mouth, comprehension dawning. "She'd sleep."  
  
"Why? Why would she sleep?" he prodded.  
  
"Because she felt safe."  
  
"Exactly." Scott rested his cheek down on the crown of Lita's head, and wrapped his free arm around her to join with the other. "She's safe with us. She knows it. That's why she rests now. So you have nothing to worry about. She knows we're taking care of her. Matt betrayed her, and she still feels the sting from that. But she still knows that we won't betray her. And so she sleeps."  
  
Rob nodded, understanding. Raven surveyed him carefully.  
  
"You get some sleep too, Rob. Then when she wakes up, you can be awake and ready for her."  
  
"What about you?" Raven smiled ruefully.  
  
"I never sleep, not really. So I'm used to this."  
  
"Fair enough." Taking one last look at Lita, assuring himself that she was okay, Rob closed his eyes and leaned his head back, trying to catch another hour's worth of rest before Charlotte.  
  
It was painfully late, or rather, early, when the limo arrived at its destination. No one could hardly make himself move; Justin appeared to almost be sleepwalking. Raven, who had remained eerily alert the entire time, turned and nudged Lita lightly.  
  
"Okay, princess, we're here."  
  
She opened her eyes, looking around surprised at everything. "We already here?" she mumbled, rising unsteadily to her feet. Rob was immediately there to support her.  
  
She looked up at him, and a brilliant smile broke out across her face. Biting her lower lip, she hesitated for only a moment before flinging her arms around his neck. He squeezed her close and hugged her back, picking her up off her feet in the process. Even after he'd set her back down, neither seemed to want to let go.  
  
"You saved me," she whispered, snuggling tightly against him. She looked up, grinning. "Mi heroe."  
  
"Naw," he shook his head. "You saved yourself. You didn't need me."  
  
"I don't need you just for a rescuer," she said seriously. Rob swallowed the lump in his throat. He tried to speak, say anything that would make sense, but at that moment Bubba, D-von, and Spike scooped up their newly regained leader. Spike was bouncing around like a puppy.  
  
"We were going crazy without you."  
  
"Crazier, maybe?" Lita teased. "Come on, what happened that y'all couldn't take care of yourselves?"  
  
"Well," D-von cleared his throat. "Bischoff stripped you of your title."  
  
Instead of exploding, Lita nodded rather calmly. "I thought he might try something like that."  
  
"And Spike didn't get to have his championship match," Bubba added.  
  
"Next week then, Killer," Lita reassured him. "More time to prepare."  
  
"Right," Spike nodded, trying to be serious, but a huge smile broke out across his face, and he hugged her again. "I'm just so glad you're back with us and you're okay."  
  
"Okay, okay, you're crushing my ribcage. Come on, we have a red-eye to catch. And we need to get Justin some coffee before he collapses."  
  
They turned to watch Lance half-carry/half-drag Justin across the parking lot. "Yeah, that's pretty ugly," Spike agreed. "Let's get going."  
  
ECW looked like a small army as the 12 of them strode across the blacktop towards the building. Of course, they'd look a lot more intimidating if random members didn't keep running over and hugging the leader. The only one who remained distant and quiet was Kane.  
  
Lita looked back over her shoulder at him, inconspicuously checking on him. He was in his all-black street clothes, head down, hands shoved in his pockets. He neither spoke to nor looked at anyone. Lita looked to Rob for explanation, but he just shrugged, not meeting her eyes. "He knows something he doesn't want to tell me," she thought to herself.  
  
She made a point to stop by Kane's room when they finally arrived at the hotel around 6:00 a.m. that morning. She knocked, timidly. "What?" Kane snarled, throwing open the door. He looked from right to left and saw no one. Lita cleared her throat. Kane looked down. "Oh."  
  
"Hey," she muttered sleepily, leaning against the doorjamb. "I know you're probably ready to crash, we all are, but I was wondering if I could talk to you for just a bit."  
  
Kane shrugged indifferently and stood back to let her in the room and shut the door behind her.  
  
Lita had already changed into her pajama pants and tank top, so she sat on the foot of the bed with her bare feet tucked up underneath her. Kane situated himself awkwardly as far away from her as possible at the head of the bed. The silence stretched out a few seconds and became awkward.  
  
"Are you okay?" he asked lowly.  
  
She nodded, her finger tracing the horrible design of the hotel room bedspread.  
  
"Good," he responded quietly.  
  
"Did Rob get to you in time, warn you about Evolution's plan?"  
  
"...Yeah."  
  
"Good."  
  
The silence descended again. Lita looked up to Kane's eyes desperately, her expression panicky. "Kane..." she looked down at the bed again. "...I'm sorry. I wish you could forgive me."  
  
His voice was measured, careful. "Forgive you for what?"  
  
"I know you think I abandoned you. But, it wasn't like that. I wasn't going to leave ECW. I just wanted to see Matt." Kane's breath let out in an angry hiss at the name. "I just couldn't understand why y'all were all so upset, but, I guess you guys were right. He couldn't be trusted." She laughed bitterly. "How stupid could I have been, y'know? I mean, I actually thought he cared about me." She turned her face away, wiping briskly at her eyes.  
  
"Hey," Kane leaned forward. "I know exactly what you're going through. Believe me."  
  
"I know," she nodded, still crying a little. "And I'm sorry that I made you think I would do the same thing to you that everyone else did. And I know that nothing I can say will make you believe me. I just have to keep proving it, by not going anywhere."  
  
Kane cradled her face delicately, wiped her tears away with his thumb. "I believe you. You don't have to prove anything to me."  
  
"Thank you," she whispered. "So," she wiped her eyes one final time and smiled up at him. "Still friends?"  
  
Kane sighed and pulled her close, wrapping her up in a warm hug. "Better than nothing," he told himself.  
  
"Yeah. Still friends."  
  
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Man, I want a big, 7-foot monster to hug. I don't know why, but I just love Kane. And there should be more Kane-centered fan-fiction. Which will probably be my next project. That, or my wacky plan for a wrestling/Swing Kids crossover Mary Sue. What do you think? Will either idea fly (or will they remain grounded, like Rosie the S.H.I.T.)? Let me know what you think. 


	29. Chapter 28

Oh...wow. Honestly, those of you who said that I wrote Raven well, that's the biggest compliment I can receive on this fic. I'm always so nervous when it comes to things he'd do or say, because he's so hard to capture. (He just refuses to fit into any stereotype well.) So to say that I do a good job with Raven...geez, I could just cry. Seriously, I've had a crush on him since back in the day. (He was the one of the ones I most wanted to see when I went to my first show...even though he was just gonna be on Heat). Man, do I miss that guy. Thank Heaven NWA is so cheap to ppv. I can't go more than about a month without some Raven-age. (Though I still owe $35 for Survivor Series...ouch.) On another note, if anyone ever wants to e-mail/IM me, it's CourtBarb@aol.com. I love to talk to other wrestling fans, and I love that ff.net provides us with this little tight community where you can really get to know people from totally different walks of life. Anyway, enough with my sappiness. Story, story, story time!  
  
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Lita sat up on a high stack of boxes in one of the darker corners backstage. Kane and Raven were on each side of her. She dangled her legs thoughtfully, just looking around from her hidden vantage point at all the people bustling around backstage. There was Rosie, stuck in a phone booth while trying to change into his S.H.I.T. costume. There was Jericho, flirting with Trish. There was Terri, chatting pre-interview with Maven. And then in walked Evolution.  
  
Lita scurried back against the wall, pulling her legs up out of view. Raven and Kane looked at her anxiously.  
  
"Li, it's okay. We're not going to let them do anything to you," Raven reassured her.  
  
She shook her head. "I can't even stand for them to look at me right now. I don't want to think about last week."  
  
Kane tilted his head slowly, popping his neck. "I'll kill them."  
  
"No! At least not right now. Just stay up here with me, okay?"  
  
That was a plea that Kane, of course, could not resist. He slid back beside her, never taking his searing glare off Evolution. Raven remained where he was, appearing almost calm except for the feral tenseness of his body and the way he tilted to block Lita with fierce protectiveness. Lita kept her head back against the wall, eyes closed.  
  
"Are they gone yet?"  
  
"No, not yet," Raven said quietly. He looked over, and reached out, laying his palm on top of her forehead, tenderly brushing back the strands of baby hair. "Don't worry. They don't even know we're up here. And they're starting to head back towards their lockerroom."  
  
After a pause of inheld breath by all three teammates, Kane let out a sigh of relief. "They're gone."  
  
"Okay." Lita pulled herself up, peeked hesitantly down, and dropped to her feet. Her arms were grabbed and she was slammed back into the very box she'd just climbed down off of.  
  
Triple H sneered at her, his cronies lined up on either side. She closed her eyes, willing herself to believe it a bad dream. How had he known? How had he snuck back around that quickly? "Will I ever be safe from him?" she wondered desperately.  
  
Before he could even open his mouth to taunt her, Kane and Raven had jumped down and were by her side. Evolution stepped back, apparently having not noticed either of the two big men that had been more off in the shadows. Triple H backed up, palms raised in mock surrendur, that grating smirk still across his face. "I just wanted to see how my favorite love was doing," he taunted.  
  
Lita wouldn't meet his eyes. She held hold of Kane's arm, not so much out of fear as out of desire to keep him from prematurely attacking. Raven stood almost directly in front of her, leaned forward like a panther ready to spring. If she so much as gave the signal, he'd go after all four of them.  
  
They waited until Evolution was really gone. Lita let go of Kane's arm, and put shaking hands over her face. "Guys, let's get back to the lockerroom, okay?"  
  
When they'd gotten back, only Tommy and RVD had arrived yet. Rob quickly noted her shaken expression. "Li, everything okay?"  
  
"Just the usual degenerates," Raven explained.  
  
"Li?" Rob stood up, putting his hands on her shoulders.  
  
She looked up at him, composed herself. "I'm fine. It's just, can we talk somewhere private?" she whispered. "I don't want everyone to know all that went on."  
  
"Sure," he nodded, and opened the door for her. "We'll be right back," he told the other guys.  
  
Looking around for a secure spot, he pulled her into a relatively unused stairwell. "So, what happened? Just tell me what you want."  
  
"Okay," she sucked in her breath. "It's just, I can't even stand to see Triple H now. Or rather, I can't stand for him to see me."  
  
"Why? Are you afraid they're going to try to take you again? You know we'd never let that happen."  
  
"Yeah, I know, it's not that. It's the way he looks at me. He's even more smug now. I just hate for him to look at me, with me knowing that he knows, well..." She looked off, taking another deep breath, and continued on in a flat, emotionless voice. "That he knows the feel of my skin, the contours of my body, the way my lips and mouth taste..." Her icy calmness broke. "Such private, personal things. And I just feel...used. And the way he looks at me makes it worse."  
  
She looked over to Rob for his reaction. His head was down, his shoulders trembling with rage, his hands clenched into fists.  
  
"Rob...please...don't do anything crazy, at least not yet."  
  
"It's just," he choked out with anger. "It's not just that he hurt you, but now that you feel this way, about yourself, he keeps hurting you. I can't stand it, Amy. You're hurting and there's nothing I can do about it. I can't stand it."  
  
"You do enough for me as it is," she reassured him. "Just being here with me...you don't know how much that means to me." She scooted over next to him, leaned her head on his shoulder, looked up at him with questioning eyes.  
  
He looked down at her and couldn't help but smile. He wrapped his arms around her, pulled her close. He didn't think he'd ever felt this comfortable in his whole life. Lita sighed against him, a small, contented sound. "It's gonna be okay now," he whispered soothingly. "I'm not going to let him anywhere near you."  
  
It was a huge, impossible promise, but in that moment, Rob meant it. He knew then and there that he'd die before he let harm come to her again.  
  
"You know," Lita murmured, eyes closed against his chest. "You're the only one I can really let be stronger than me. I know you'd never let anything hurt me. I'm just not sure I understand why."  
  
"Because I love you." She looked up, searching his eyes, and he gazed back down at her. "I wish there was a better, less-cliched way I could say it, but I don't know how. I don't have Raven's gift with words. I just know it, and I mean it, but I can't explain it. I love you. Take that how you want to."  
  
Her lips parted in surprise, and he capture them with his, quickly and gently, a sweet, giving gesture. He pulled back softly. She stared at him, confused.  
  
"What do you want from me?" she whispered hoarsely.  
  
"I want you to be happy."  
  
"No," she shook her head, debating within herself. "Everyone wants something from everyone else."  
  
"Listen to yourself," he argued. "You're starting to sound like Kane."  
  
"Maybe that's because I'm starting to understand why he thinks the way he does."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because I'm scared!" She drew back from him, chest heaving in panic. "I trust you, but I don't want to. I've witnessed firsthand what people can do to each other, the betrayals they can achieve. If you turned on me, too..." She shook her head. "I'm sorry; I couldn't handle it."  
  
"I'm not going to turn on you."  
  
"How can I know? I mean, part of me knows...but I'm still so scared. I'm sorry, Rob." She stood up, walked away from him. "I'm just not ready," she said as she left.  
  
He stared in bewilderment at her as she walked away. "Give her time," he thought, trying to calm himself. "It's only been a week."  
  
He stood up, walked back to the lockerroom. He sat in the back, looking no one in the eye as a once-again in-control Lita told everyone the plans for the night.  
  
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Lita agreed to accompany Raven and Tommy out to the ring for their match against La Resistance for the Tag Team Titles that night. She was still wearing her street clothes, having only already changed into her wrestling boots in case she needed to interfere in their match. She still had the flannel shirt Raven had lent her when she was cold the other night and had it tied around her waist as she walked up to meet them at the gorilla position.  
  
"Hey guys, you ready?"  
  
Both men stared at her, wide-eyed.  
  
"Guys? Everything okay?"  
  
"Um, yeah," Raven said quickly while Tommy assured her, "Uh-huh."  
  
"I mean..."  
  
"It's just that..."  
  
"You look so..."  
  
"...dead sexy."  
  
"...HOT!" Raven finished uneloquently.  
  
Lita blinked at them. "Guys, I look like I've been raiding the homeless shelter for clothes."  
  
"But you look so..."  
  
"...HOT!"  
  
Lita shook her head, trying to understand. "Okay, so the outfit women need to turn men on involves ripped jeans, combat boots, wifebeaters and flannel shirts? Sorry, I'm just not seeing the sexiness in that."  
  
"I'm seeing the sexiness," Tommy stated, staring at her.  
  
"...Right. I forgot that y'all had whacked taste in women. Um, do you think y'all could cut it out with the Beulah and Francine flashbacks at least long enough for your championship match, after which I could change into something more feminine and therefore, less 'sexy'?"  
  
Both nodded, swallowing hard.  
  
"Guys," she snapped her fingers in front of your faces. "Raven, I think that's your music hitting. Unless there just happens to be someone else here who uses 'Come Out and Play'."  
  
"Oh yeah...right." He rushed through the curtains just as the line, "You gotta keep 'em seperated," was hitting.  
  
"Tommy," she addressed him curtly. "Alice in Chains is going to start up any time now. You ready?"  
  
"Yeah," he finally ripped his gaze off of her. "Sorry about that."  
  
She rolled her eyes. "No problem."  
  
Sure enough, "Man in a Box" came on a few seconds later and Tommy walked out, Lita following a few feet behind. All three of the ECW members paused inside of the ring, waiting for the two frenchmen. Lita patted them each on the shoulder. "This one's in the bag. No worries."  
  
Seemingly just to contradict her, Bischoff's music hit. He walked, a forebodingly cheerful grin on his face, just to the top of the ramp.  
  
"As much as I'm sure we'd all love to see this match get underway, I was just worrying about the fairness of all this. It seems to me that two of your very own teammates would be equally, if not more deserving for a shot at the tag team titles. So, at this moment, I would like the Dudley Boyz to come out."  
  
Bubba and D-von walked out as their music hit, glancing suspiciously at Bischoff before going to join everyone else in the ring. Bischoff continued with his spiel.  
  
"So I was thinking, why not have these two fine teams fight for a shot at the titles with La Resistance last week?"  
  
Lita turned to the four men. "He's just trying to cause trouble. He hasn't gotten rid of us yet, so he's trying to rip us apart from the inside. D-von, Bubba, would you let Tommy and Scotty have this one if I could get you a match for something you value far more than tag team gold?" She whispered first in Bubba's ear, then D-von's. Their faces lit up with excitement, and both nodded their affirmations enthusiastically. Lita picked up a mic and turned to Bischoff.  
  
"The team of the Dudley Boyz has agreed to forego a shot at the Tag Team Titles in exchange for a match against two opponents of their choosing, for a prize of their choosing."  
  
Bischoff appeared intrigued. "Go on."  
  
"The Dudleyz wish to challenge Test and Scott Steiner for the managerial services of Miss Stacey Keibler." The crowd roared its approval. Bischoff feigned being deep in thought.  
  
"An interesting concept, but it doesn't seem quite fair to me. After all, Test and Steiner have nothing to win and everything to lose. So..." he smiled at her with an evil glint in his eye. "Perhaps ECW should put something on the line. Like, perhaps, your managerial services. If the Dudleyz win, they get Stacey. But if Test and Steiner win...they get you."  
  
"Don't do it," Bubba whispered in her ear. "Yeah, it's not worth it," D-von added in. "We'll find some other way to save her." Ignoring them, Lita squared her shoulders and glared back up at Bischoff. "Agreed."  
  
"No!" The guys around her pulled her back, yanking the mic out of her hand, trying to force her to reverse the decision.  
  
"Agreed," Bischoff said. "Then it's final. The match will take place tonight. Oh, and Lita," all of the ECW wrestlers in the ring looked up at him. "If there's anything you want to say to your team, you'd better do it now. Because after the match, it's going to be too late."  
  
The guys were all ranting furiously at her as they walked backstage. "How could you do this?" "Are you crazy?" "Steiner and Test; who knows what they'll do?"  
  
"Guys, GUYS!" she hushed them. "It's okay." She glared seriously at Bubba and D-von. "You'd just better win."  
  
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mwahaha...I know what happens...but I'm not tell you yet! You have to wait, and see...Will Lita be stuck working for Test and Steiner? Will they rescue Stacey? Will I ever get over this freakin' migraine? Time shall tell! 


	30. Chapter 29

Slept until 1:00 p.m. today. Just in case there are any doctors out there reading this, would there be a reason for a very healthy 18-year-old to start getting the first headaches of her life, all in rapid succession? Oh yeah, maybe I should just go see a doctor. But those cost money. Which I don't have. Eh, maybe I'll just write the next chapter; that always seems to make me feel a little better.  
  
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After the agreement was made, Bubba and D-von headed to the back again to get ready, and La Resistance finally came out for the tag team titles match. Quickly wishing her boys luck, Lita slid out of the ring.  
  
Raven and Tommy were more than prepared. They isolated the smaller Sylvan Bronier, laying waste to him by making several quick tags back and forth. "It's nice to see them destroying something other than each other," Lita thought. Unfortunately, things started going downhill when Sylvan turned an Irish Whip into a nasty clothesline on Tommy. She pounded the mat for Tommy to get up as Sylvan crawled over to make the tag to Renee. Tommy reached for Raven's outstretched hand just a second too late. Renee pulled him back and began destroying him in the ring. What followed was a tricky series of La Resistance taunting Raven to enter the ring and distract the ref while they double-teamed Tommy in the corner.  
  
"Uh-uh," Lita thought. "We ain't having none of that."  
  
While Brian Hebner was distracted trying to force Raven out of the ring again, Lita leapt up onto the apron in one fluid motion and yanked Dupree's head down to hang him up on the ropes. When Bronier lunged forward to swing at Lita, Tommy hit him with a low blow.  
  
The ref turned around just as Tommy was crawling over to make the tag to Raven. With a quick Raven Effect on Dupree, and Tommy kicking Bronier out of the ring, the ECW boys got the 1-2-3 and the tag team titles.  
  
Lita jumped up in the ring, bouncing around, celebrating with them. Now ECW could really get the respect they deserved, considering they had more title belts to back it up with. "Of course," Lita thought. "I'm technically not the Women's Champion anymore, but that won't last long."  
  
Tommy scooped her up in a big hug, and she enthusiastically squeezed him back. Then she turned to Raven, who, though desperate to keep looking tough and brooding, couldn't stop himself from smiling. She stood in the middle of them and raised each's arm in victory.  
  
That was when both decided to lean in and kiss her cheek. Lita ducked. Raven kissed Tommy squarely on the lips. They pulled back, freaked out. Both looked down at Lita, who was trying her best not to laugh.  
  
"Um, sorry?"  
  
She scrambled out of the ring and went dashing up the ramp, the new tag team champions following on her heels.  
  
Lita burst into a lockerroom full of the ECW guys howling with laughter.  
  
"Oh man," Bubba choked out between tears. "You're in trouble."  
  
"Hide me!" Lita begged.  
  
Everyone just kept laughing.  
  
"Okay, hide over here," Kane chuckled, pointing underneath the bench in the far back against the wall.  
  
Lita scrambled under and Kane moved a few gymbags around so she was completely blocked.  
  
Raven and Tommy burst in the room. Everyone started laughing harder, especially when Justin started making kissing sounds.  
  
"Shut up!" Raven threatened.  
  
"Where is she?"  
  
"Come on," Rob laughed. "Have you actually figured out what you're going to do once you catch her?"  
  
Raven opened his mouth to reply and closed it again, shaking his head thoughtfully.  
  
"Never thought I'd see him at a loss for words," Stevie whispered to Lance, who snickered.  
  
"Anyway, once you do figure it out, she's under here," Kane informed them. Lita pinched the back of his leg.  
  
"Snitch!" she yelled as Raven and Tommy drug her out.  
  
"So," Tommy glanced at Raven who held Lita's feet while Tommy held her shoulders. "What does she deserve?"  
  
"Only one cruel and unusual punishment comes to mind."  
  
"Oh no..." Lita murmured.  
  
Suddenly, she was being tickled mercilessly. "I'm your leader!" she squealed in between giggles. "I command you to stop! That's a direct order!"  
  
"Sorry, but we're revolting," Tommy said.  
  
"You've always been revolting-" Lita shot back, which incited fiercer tickling. "Ow! Okay, enough! I concede my reign!"  
  
They set her, breathless, down. Lita stood up, composing herself and trying to look dignified despite her flushed cheeks. "Can we come back to order, please? I believe that Bubba and D-von have a very important match in about 20 minutes."  
  
The mirth in the room was snuffed out and everyone grew very quiet.  
  
"Guys, it's okay," she reassured them. "We're going to win."  
  
"I really wish you hadn't agreed to that stipulation, mami," Rey said quietly. "Nothing against Bubba and D-von; I know you guys can win. But it's a bigger risk than I'm willing to take. Plus, I just don't trust Bischoff."  
  
"He agreed to that match a little too quickly," Kane added.  
  
"Guys, there was no other way we could have gotten Stacey out of there. And no, she and I haven't always been the best of friends, but the way they're treating her can't be allowed. Besides, if worst comes to worst and I have to go with Test and Steiner..." Rob let out a nervous sigh. Lita smirked a little. "I'll make it a living hell for them. They'll be begging y'all to take me back by the time it's over. Besides, I can take it from them. She can't."  
  
"There had to have been a different way," Rob argued.  
  
"With Bischoff, this is the best we're gonna get. Now come on, we're up in a few minutes. All right?" Everyone nodded half-heartedly. "Guys, there's nothing to be worried about. We're gonna win. Besides," she joked. "It'll be really nice having another woman around to help me babysit all y'all. Now let's get out there."  
  
She left with Bubba and D-von. Rob stopped her at the door. "It's not too late to call it off."  
  
"It doesn't matter whether it's too late or not. I'm not going to call it off. You know that."  
  
He sighed, taking her hand. He ran his thumb over the backs of her knuckles, traced the smooth skin of her palm before laying a gentle kiss on it. "Don't break my heart out there."  
  
"Don't worry," she said, a little surprised at his straightforwardness. "That's the very last thing I want to do."  
  
She walked off in the direction of the Dudleyz, pulling her hand very gently away from his.  
  
The three rallied in the guerilla position. "So," Lita breathed, a little nervous. "Show no fear; show no mercy. Just like always, right?"  
  
"Right," the two nodded seriously. "Okay," their music started. "Let's make this happen."  
  
The three ran out to the top of the ramp, Lita making the 3-d symbol along with the guys. They sprinted down and slid into the ring, posing some more for the fans. Once the music had been cut, Lita snatched up a mic.  
  
"Test, Steiner, you guys might want to think about just throwing this one," she warned. "Because if you win, you're stuck with me."  
  
Test, Steiner, and Stacey walked out to "Holla, if ya hear me!", but they weren't alone. Evolution came with them.  
  
Triple H had a microphone in his hand. Always a bad sign.  
  
"No, you see, that's where you're wrong, Lita. We've already made a deal with Test and Steiner where, if they win you in this match tonight, we will automatically take you off their hands, for a reasonable price, of course. So Lita, the stipulation is not that if the Dudley Boyz lose this match you go with Test and Steiner. If the Dudley Boyz lose this match, you belong to me."  
  
Lita turned to her teammates desperately. They only looked even more angered and prepared than before."  
  
Bubba hugged her, whispering in her ear. "Don't worry. Now there's no way we're going to lose. I promise you, they will be able to keep my shoulders down for three seconds no matter what."  
  
"Me neither," D-von agreed, wrapping her up in his strong arms. "We're not gonna let him get you, okay? You've got nothing to worry about."  
  
She nodded, still shaking a little, and slid down out of the ring. In part to calm herself, she walked over to Stacey. Stacey smiled hesitantly and shyly at her. Lita smiled brightly back, putting on a show of fearlessness for the very intimidated young woman.  
  
"Ready to get away from these losers?" she said purposely loudly, nodding to Test and Steiner. Stacey grinned, nodding. "Good," Lita smiled.  
  
Test and Steiner climbed up on the apron, and the match began. It went back and forth for some time, and with a little prodding from Lita, Stacey was soon leading the crowd in the ECW chant. Test jumped down out of the ring, walking over to yell at Stacey, but Lita got in his face, pushing him back. He made a move to hit her, but D-von used the distraction to hit Test with a beautiful baseball slide. Stacey laughed and pointed at her vengeful ex, and the two women went back to watching the match in earnest.  
  
Steiner slid down at one point and reached for the steel chair Stacey had been sitting on. Lita grabbed for it, and a tug-of-war ensued. Surprisingly, as she was pulling as hard as she could, Steiner let go.  
  
Lita stumbled back a few feet and bumped into someone much taller and much wider than her. She turned around. Triple H grinned at her.  
  
Before she could be sure what was happening, the chair had been yanked from her and slammed into her skull. As she lay crumpled on the ground, she could hear loud thumps from the canvas above her, the ref's hand as it slapped down for the three-count and the final bell.  
  
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Cliffhanger! So, who do you think won? I betcha wanna know, dontcha? hahaha Okay, just kidding. Don't worry; you know my OCD about this story is gonna force me to post the next chapter in a timely fashion, so you won't be kept waiting long. 


	31. Chapter 30

Correction: Bronier = Grenier. I blame the Fink for having an annoying voice and making me not want to listen to half of what he says anyway. Oh, and just a warning. I'm writing this under the influence of painkiller/sleep aid pills, so while I no longer have a headache, I'm not very lucid either. So, if this doesn't make sense...I don't know...I'll write later that it was a dream sequence or something. Anyway, time for Chapter 30.  
  
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Lita felt herself swimming upward back towards consciousness. Her vision was dim and blurry at first. When she broke the surface of being fully wake, it was finally clear. Batista leaned over her.  
  
"No!" she screamed in panic, sitting up quickly. Several hands moved to hold her down again.  
  
"Shhh...calm down; you've had a bad head injury." Wait...that sounded like Rob's voice. But...  
  
She looked around the room. Batista was at her bedside, but everyone else was ECW. Her eyes darted around quickly. None of the other members of Evolution were present.  
  
"What's going on?" she asked suspiciously.  
  
"Dave," Bubba explained. "He grabbed that chair from Triple H and brained him with it before he had a chance to interfere. Orton and Flair scurried out of there pretty quick when he came after them."  
  
Lita looked over at Batista, a little surprised, but smiling. "Thanks."  
  
He shrugged.  
  
"So I guess Triple H knows you're no longer his lackey."  
  
"I suppose he'll figure it out...That is...when and if he ever regains consciousness."  
  
Lita laughed, leaning back a little to relax. "So where do you go from here?"  
  
"Smackdown. Steph'd already offered me a nice deal, and I figured I could get into a good rivalry with one of their big guys, maybe Lesnar or Nathan Jones."  
  
Lita nodded. "Yeah, those would be good matches."  
  
"And, if I ever just felt like kicking the sh*t out of someone, there's this little black-haired cruiserweight I got a bone to pick with. Something Hardy; ever heard of him?"  
  
She feigned trying to remember. "Nope, not really. The name kinda rings a bell, but I guess he just wasn't worth remembering."  
  
Rob actually giggled. She glanced at him, one eyebrow humorously raised. "Anyway," she addressed Batista. "I'm glad you went ahead and made your alliance, or lack thereof, clear now, before I was forced to let my boys fight you just to protect your cover."  
  
"Yeah, I know. I figured Triple H was gonna try to make me knock you out or something, and then I'd blow my cover. Come to think of it, just like tonight."  
  
"Yeah, well, thanks for that."  
  
"No problem. I kinda wanted to whack him anyway."  
  
The other members of ECW appeared a little confused with this exchange. "Wait a minute..." D-von tried to reason. "Y'all were already cool with each other?"  
  
"Dave helped me escape. Even let me knock him out with a big silver platter."  
  
"And you didn't tell us this because...?" Rob asked.  
  
"Y'all would have acted differently towards him, purposefully or not. And he was still working with Evolution at the time, so it would have been a bad deal."  
  
"Gotcha. Well," Rob offered his hand to Batista. "Thanks for looking out for her."  
  
Batista smirked a little as he shook Rob's hand, his eyes suggesting he'd just figured something out. "Not a problem."  
  
He moved to leave. "Wait," Lita stopped him. He paused, looking back over his shoulder at her. "Let us walk you out. Even if Triple H is still out, Flair and Orton will probably try to jump you for what happened."  
  
"Yeah..." he muttered. "I keep forgetting that I can't be fearless anymore."  
  
"You should have been terrified of us."  
  
"Not at all. You all are so loud and so headstrong aggressive that anyone could see you coming from a mile away. You're far too easy to avoid."  
  
"And Evolution is sneaky."  
  
"Exactly."  
  
"Well," she shrugged. "That's why you should let us walk you out."  
  
"Good logic. Let's go then."  
  
Lita, the Dudleyz, Rob, and a still silent Kane followed Batista out. They checked every corner backstage before they turned around it, and were finally out in the parking lot. Batista got in his car and put the key in the ignition to start it. "Wait!" Lita yelled, and crawled under the car. She was gone a few seconds and reappeared. "All clear."  
  
"What were you doing?" Dave asked, though the members of ECW nodded in understanding.  
  
"Checking the brake lines."  
  
"Oh," he shuddered. "To think that's even necessary..."  
  
"Yeah, I know. Well, have a good life."  
  
"You too. I'm sure we'll all meet again. Probably sooner than we realize."  
  
"Like at the next ppv," Lita suggested.  
  
"Yeah. See ya." Batista slammed the car door and sped off, tires squealing.  
  
Lita waved goodbye as he drove off. "Wait a minute," she looked around at her teammates. "D-von, Bubba, where did y'all leave Stacey?"  
  
"In the lockerroom with everyone else," D-von answered.  
  
Lita stared at him. Bubba's eyes widened. "Are you sure that's the best idea?"  
  
"Aw crap," D-von muttered, and sprinted off back towards the lockerroom with the others close behind.  
  
Fortunately they arrived back in time soon enough to avoid any serious damage. Stacey was standing a little shakily, while Tommy was correcting her form holding a kendo stick. "No, it's like this," Raven set down the beer can he'd just taken another swig of, and tried to adjust her hands lower on the weapon. "That way you can swing with more leverage."  
  
"Yeah, but you have less control," Tommy argued. Stacey dazedly tried to follow their argument, apparently already having had a few herself.  
  
"Guys?" Lita asked, stunned. "What'd you do to her."  
  
"Oh, it's okay Li," she slurred. "Rommy and Taven...hee hee hee...I said Taven...are teaching me to be extreme." She brandished the kendo stick drunkenly. Tommy ducked it, and it knocked an unsuspecting Spike directly between the eyes. "Good thing I wasn't wearing my glasses," he muttered irritatibly.  
  
"I sowwy 'pike...I...I feel sick..." Lita rushed forward and caught Stacey as she swooned forward. She shook her head, glaring at Raven and Tommy. "You guys are hopeless."  
  
"Eh, you love us for it."  
  
"I guess that makes me hopeless, too."  
  
She half-dragged/half-walked Stacey to the women's bathroom just in time. Lita grimaced and looked away as Stacey's body rid itself of the alcohol, holding her hair back for her.  
  
"Thanks, Li," Stacey sat back, wiping her mouth with some tissue.  
  
"It's okay," Lita reassured her. "We're just glad you're away from Test and Steiner."  
  
"Me too! I mean, thanks so much for that. That was a really big risk you took."  
  
"Yeah, well, I had to."  
  
"No," Stacey shook her head. "You didn't. I mean, it's not like we were ever really friends before. So why take such a huge chance?"  
  
"I don't know," Lita responded truthfully. "I guess, I knew it would mean a lot to the guys. And I knew you really needed help. So, here we are."  
  
"Thank you so much Lita," Stacey hugged her. Lita looked down at her, a little taken aback. She patted her back awkwardly. "Um, your welcome. Say, Stace?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Are your bags in the lockerroom?"  
  
"Yeah, why?"  
  
"You happen to have a toothbrush with you?"  
  
"Oops, oh yeah...Sorry about that..."  
  
"It's all good," Lita reassured her. "You're smashed out of your mind right now and won't remember this later to be embarrassed, anyway."  
  
"Okay...cool..."  
  
"Right," Lita pulled her to her feet. She brought Stacey's bag out of the lockerroom for her and helped her stand up as she brushed her teeth. "Okay, let's get you back to the hotel so you can crash."  
  
"Yeah...I'm sleepy."  
  
"At least you won't be a very annoying roommate," Lita muttered. "Since you'll be passed out."  
  
She brought Stacey back into the lockerroom. "Guys, a little help? I know she doesn't look big as a minute, but she's starting to get heavy."  
  
Bubba scooped her up while Rob giggled. "'Big as a minute'? Your southern roots are showing."  
  
"So?" Lita shot back. "Nothing to be ashamed of. Besides, that's big talk coming from the white guy who fights like he's Japanese. How many kung fu movies were you a stunt double in again?"  
  
"How hypocritical, mi luchadora," he teased.  
  
"Okay, okay, es suficiente (That's enough)," Rey broke it up. "Lita, Rob, ustedes luchan como novios. Son muy obvios." (Lita, Rob, you two fight like lovers. You're very obvious.)  
  
Lita blushed. "Can it, Rey."  
  
Everyone else just blinked at them.  
  
"Would you guys *please* stop doing that?" Lance begged.  
  
"You know, you could just learn spanish," Lita pointed out.  
  
"I'm Canadian. My only second language is butchered French."  
  
"Um, guys, I hate to interrupt this oh-so-important debate, but she's dead to the world, and I think we need to get her back to the hotel so she can sleep it off," Bubba informed them.  
  
"Oh yeah. I'd almost forgotten about drunk girl," Lita mused. "Okay then, let's load up and get out of here."  
  
They dragged Stacey and their luggage out to their two rental SUVs. Tommy drove one carrying himself, all three Dudleyz, Stacey, Stevie, and Raven. Lita drove the other with Rob riding shotgun, Lance, Justin, Rey, and Kane.  
  
The guys all groaned when Lita cranked up the radio on a Sheryl Crow song. "Enough with the angry, Lillith Fair chick music!" Justin griped. Lita sang along loudly and offkey just to annoy them.  
  
"'Cause you can't change the way I am! Are you strong enough to be my man?" Lita wailed.  
  
"Enough!" Rob changed the station and the sounds of smokey blues filled the Explorer.  
  
"Tell me no lies. I don't know about you; I don't know about you..."  
  
Lita smirked at him. "You're a Bowie fan?"  
  
"Can we listen to something that isn't completely weird?" Justin whined.  
  
Lita switched the radio off. "Happy?"  
  
"Very," the four guys chorused from the backseat. After a long and merciful silence, they pulled up into the hotel parking lot. Rob pulled Lita aside as she got out of the vehicle, letting everyone else go on up ahead of them. "Yeah?" she asked hesitantly.  
  
"I wanted to ask you about something."  
  
"Rob, I'm sorry, I'm just not ready..."  
  
"No, no, not about that," he looked awkwardly away from her. "I was wondering why you didn't offer to Batista to stick with us. You know we could have accepted him after he helped you out so much."  
  
"No, I couldn't do that. Dave's a great guy, but I don't know how well that would have gone over. And I want the team to be unified."  
  
"Who would have had a problem with it?"  
  
"Mostly Kane," she stated bluntly. "Having another big guy come in, one who'd saved me when he couldn't it? I just don't know how that would've flown."  
  
Rob smiled, shaking his head. "You're so smart, Li. You see this stuff that everyone else would've missed. You always know what's going on in everyone else's head, like how you thought to try to save Stacey for Bubba and D-von tonight. How do you know this stuff?"  
  
"Womanly intuition," she teased, somewhat seriously. "That's why they put me in charge."  
  
"You put yourself in charge," he countered.  
  
"And you wouldn't have it any other way."  
  
He sighed, pulling her against him in a flirtatious hug. He ran his fingers through a strand of her hair, fiddled with it. "I wouldn't have you any other way than exactly as you are."  
  
Lita rested her forehead on his shoulder, smiling. "Don't go making me forget why I can't be with you yet."  
  
"I'm sorry," he released her. "Take all the time you need. I'll wait forever."  
  
She laughed. "God, that's corny."  
  
"Yeah, well," he shrugged, blushing. "It sounded a lot better in my head."  
  
Lita patted Rob's cheek. "Go get some sleep. If little boy doesn't get a nap he's gonna be all grouchy and confused."  
  
"Always confused, but never grouchy," he replied. "But hey, it's cool. If you're trying to get rid of me I understand."  
  
"I'm trying to go get some sleep of my own. It's been a long night."  
  
"I hear ya'. Well, good night then," he hugged her timidly.  
  
"'Night Rob."  
  
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So, I hope y'all weren't expecting that outcome for the match. A lot of the reviews I got suggested everyone thought Steiner and Test would win but no, it was not to be. Plus I'm having a really hard time writing Stacey since she doesn't have any real acting skills and therefore not much of a personality on the show. Sorry, that's unfair. She's really not that bad, especially considering she just entered the business by being a Nitro girl. Anyway, I'm rambling. Catch y'all later. 


	32. Chapter 31

So, I'm having one of the worst days of my life. Yet I'm writing another chapter. Maybe if only because it's been in my head all weekend and has been begging to be written. So, who has time to worry about a break-up when there's fan fiction to write? Actually, this is helping me get my mind off of it, quite therapeutic. Anyway, chapter time.  
  
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Lita tossed and turned in her big, cold, empty bed as Stacey snored loudly in the other one. She glanced over at the clock. Though it felt like she'd been trying to get to sleep for hours, only a mere 15 minutes had passed, putting the time around 12:30. "Another long night," she thought, sighing, as she once again tried to flip over on her side and get comfortable.  
  
A knock at the door, so soft she wasn't sure she'd heard it, interrupted her misery. "What the-?" She answered it. Rob stood there in his gym shorts and tank top. "Hey," he greeted simply.  
  
"Hey yourself," she yawned. "What is it?"  
  
He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "I couldn't sleep."  
  
"What am I, your mother or something? You want me to read you a bedtime story?"  
  
He was taken aback at her snappiness. "I guess someone else isn't getting much rest either."  
  
"No Rob, I'm sorry. I just can't get to sleep. So...you wanna come in?"  
  
"Yeah, I'd prefer that to standing out here in the hall of the hotel in my pajamas."  
  
"Aww, but you look so cute in them. You should want to show them off," Lita found the energy to tease.  
  
"Yeah, well it's totally freezing out here."  
  
"Fair enough. Come on then, but be quiet; I don't want to wake drunk girl."  
  
"I don't blame you. Honestly, Stacey's not my favorite person when she's sober," Rob admitted.  
  
Lita closed and locked the door behind him. "Mine neither, but I figured it make D-von and Bubba happy. Though I find it refreshing to hear of a guy that's not smitten by her looks, or at least a guy who's intelligent enough to fake not being smitten by her looks."  
  
"No, I'm telling the truth," Rob said, climbing into Lita's bed and curling up under the covers. "I like my girls with some muscle on them, and I'm not crazy for blondes either. Redheads are the hottest by far."  
  
"Flattering," Lita stated flatly, "...but what are you doing in my bed?"  
  
"Getting warm," he answered casually and patted the spot next to him.  
  
Lita sighed, but curled up next to him anyway. "Fine, but you better be gone before anyone wakes up in the morning and realizes what's going on."  
  
"Okay." He pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her, warming her. "Why are you so embarrassed about us, anyway?"  
  
"It's not like that, and you know it," she reprimanded him. "I just...I don't want anyone to try to hurt you to get to me. It's safer this way."  
  
"My knight in shining armor," he teased and kissed her forehead.  
  
"Yeah, well, I mean it."  
  
"I know. And that's what's so adorable about it."  
  
"Don't call me adorable. Puppies are adorable."  
  
"Fine then. You are not adorable. You are big, strong, amazon warrior woman."  
  
"Damn straight." She yawned and stretched, ruining her tough girl image she'd just worked so hard to establish. "Funny," she murmured. "I'm finally sleepy." She laid her head on his chest, closed her eyes, and drifted off into sleep.  
  
"Me too." Rob laid his head on top of hers, closed his eyes and went as well.  
  
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Over the next couple of weeks, ECW truly took in Stacey as one of their own. Lita taught her a few wrestling moves, but mostly valet-oriented things, and how to throw a decent punch. The younger girl learned surprisingly quickly. What she lacked in natural skill she made up for in hard practice and sheer determination. Lita would often see her in the weight room with one of the guys, beating the crap out of a punching bag. Of course, sometimes she'd miss with a ill-aimed hook and catch whoever was holding the bag for her in the eye, but she really couldn't hit all that hard, and it happened rarely enough that everyone pretty much took it in stride.  
  
Though she was quiet and reserved, they all grew to like her. Kane had his suspicions, but Kane was suspicious of everybody, so that came as no real surprise. Rob was courteous to her but ignored her out of an almost comical loyalty to his red-haired diva. Justin got in the habit, whenever Rob never had more than a few words to say to Stacey, of making a sound like a whip cracking, which of course Lance laughed along with him on. Rob would take it in stride, smiling lazily and sometimes coming back with a Dawn Marie-related wisecrack.  
  
So, everyone cared for Stacey. That's why it was of some great concern when she turned up missing right before RAW a couple of weeks later.  
  
Lita rushed up to Rob. "Rob, you know where Stacey is?"  
  
He stared at her distrustfully. "Wait, is that a trick question? Am I supposed to know where Stacey is?"  
  
"Someone should," she explained, exasperated. "No one's seen her."  
  
"Don't worry; I'm sure she's fine. She probably just went to go do her make-up and got lost on the way back or something."  
  
Lita laughed and it came out as a snort.  
  
"Wow, that's so sexy."  
  
"Shut up. I'm just gonna go ahead and get things ready for tonight and we'll send the Dudleyz to look for her."  
  
"Good plan, boss."  
  
"Dork."  
  
"Freak."  
  
"Stoner."  
  
"Biker chick wannabe."  
  
"High school dropout wannabe."  
  
"Former Women's Champion."  
  
"Watch it."  
  
Lita set off to notify the other guys about what was going on and that the program would, for the moment, proceed as normal.  
  
However, such was not the case when, when Lance and Justin's match should have opened the show, instead RAW came on the air with Evolution standing, microphone present, center ring. Stacey stood with them.  
  
"I'm sure you're all wondering what I'm doing here," she addressed the crowd. "But it's really quite simple. I'm making the smartest business decision of my life. Lita, did you really think I was going to settle for playing second-string to you for a bunch of washed-up losers? Well, that's not going to happen. I've found a much better offer with Triple H, Ric Flair, and Randy Orton."  
  
The crowd rowdily booed its dissent. Stacey continued undaunted. "I know you don't think I have anything to offer to Evolution, after all, I'm neither the beast nor the skank that you are, but I have something far more valuable to them than anything you could possibly offer. And that's information. For instance, it isn't common knowledge that both Bubba Ray Dudley and Raven have chronically bad backs. Or that Justin's neck isn't in good shape, or that Tommy still doesn't have full mobility in his left shoulder. But that's not the most interesting nor the most significant thing I learned in my little stint with ECW. No." Her eyes glinted mercilessly. "I learned your greatest weakness, Lita. And it's not your surgically repaired neck, either. In fact, your greatest weakness isn't even on your body. Your greatness weakness...is Rob...Van...Dam..."  
  
Evolution laughed ruthlessly along with Stacey as she continued to mock her former teammate.  
  
"I just...I don't want anyone to try to hurt you to get to me," Stacey mocked in a falsetto whiny voice. "Well guess what, Miss Dumas! We have a mystery guest here with us tonight; Randy, would you give us the honor?"  
  
Randy slid out of the ring and, dropping to his knees, lifted up the ring apron. Straining mightily, he dragged out a bound and gagged RVD.  
  
Lita watched helplessly from the monitor backstage. "I should have never left him alone when I went to get everyone else," she berated herself. "I should have never trusted that slut Keibler. God, this is all my fault."  
  
Orton threw Evolution's captive unceremoniously into the ring and dug for something else under the ring as Flair dragged Rob up to a standing position. Orton reappeared with something in his hand.  
  
"No!" Lita screamed and broke away from the lockerroom, rushing for the ramp.  
  
She was halfway down the ramp when the sledgehammer connected with Rob's knee. Triple H dropped the weapon to the canvas as Flair also let RVD fall. Not the least bit concerned about her enemies, Lita slid into the ring and knelt beside him, leaning down to cry over him. "It's okay," she whispered over and over in his ear as he moaned lowly with pain. "It's okay; it's gonna be okay."  
  
Triple H loomed over her. "I could beat you within an inch of your life right at this very moment," he threatened. "But it wouldn't be worth it. I can't hurt you any more than I just did."  
  
Evolution, now back up to four with their new recruit Stacey Keibler, exited the ring. Lita paid them no mind as she laid there sobbing beside Rob.  
  
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What? So I'm not in a mood for happy endings. In my current frame of mind I could have killed off every last likeable character and had Triple H and Stacey live happily ever after. Fortunately, some semblance of sanity took control. Oh, and one quick note: Stacey DOES drink beer. She got stunned for being grossed out the first time Austin offered her a cold one, but a few weeks later when he repeated the gesture, she drunk her brains out. Just a note. 


	33. Chapter 32

Hey guys. Sorry I disappeared for the last week or so, but between Thanksgiving and us nearing the end of the semester here (my first semester of college, almost over), it's been crazy-go-nuts here. I mean...seriously. Anyway, I'm back, and I'm here with the next chapter of the story.  
  
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Lita sat patiently beside Rob's hospital bed. With the morphine finally wearing off, he dazedly opened his eyes.  
  
Rob looked around in a fog. The last he really remembered he'd been in the ring. Evolution had jumped him backstage and brought him out there...for something. Then he could just hear Lita crying, the same sound that had just woken him up. Here...in a hospital room? He tried to sit up and his left leg screamed with pain. That was when realization struck.  
  
"No," he murmured, squeezing his eyes shut and letting his head drop back down to the pillow. He crossed his arms over his face. "No...this can't be happening..."  
  
"Rob?" Lita's voice was so small and shaken. She sounded terrified. He opened his eyes, tried to smile at her, make her think everything was okay. Her expression made it obvious the lie wasn't working. "Hey beautiful, how long you been there?"  
  
"Rob," she stated this time, trying to sound in control, but her voice was still far too high to hide how upset she was. "Do you know what happened?"  
  
"Yeah, Evolution again. I got whacked by a sledgehammer, so I guess I'm on the shelf for a while, right?"  
  
"Um, well..." She wasn't looking him in the eyes. Another bad sign. Instead she was looking desperately over at Kane, as if begging him to take this burden from her. He wouldn't return her gaze, but instead stared unwaveringly back at Rob. "Tell him, Lita," Bubba encouraged softly.  
  
"You got hit really hard. The kneecap was not only knocked out of alignment, but almost completely shattered. But they were able to operate and piece it back together for the most part, using screws and some synthetic materials."  
  
He was starting to get a little more nervous. "So, what does that mean? How long will it be, between recovery and rehab and all that stuff?"  
  
"Rob..." she took a deep breath, her shoulders shaking a little. "The doctors...they're very confident that, in time, you'll be able to walk without a noticeable limp, but to wrestle..." She tried to open her mouth and make the words come out, but couldn't, so she ducked away, shaking her head.  
  
"They don't think I'll be able to wrestle again?"  
  
"They're saying they know you'll never be able to do anything athletic again."  
  
"Well then that's a lie! They don't know me!"  
  
"Rob, please don't get angry..."  
  
"Of course I'm angry! Evolution pulls one bad stunt and I'm supposed to just give up? But you've already given up on me, so what does it matter?"  
  
"No one's given up on you..."  
  
"Oh, no, you haven't given up. You're sure that one day, if I'm lucky, I won't need a wheelchair. That's not good enough, Lita. It's not enough for me."  
  
"But right now that's all we have."  
  
"It's not enough," he repeated.  
  
"Rob," she took his hands hesitantly, afraid he might jerk away. "Rob, I'm not giving up on you. If you want to wrestle again, and you're willing to work that long and hard for it, then I believe you can. And I'm going to be there for you every step of the way. But right now, you can't get frustrated and in a rush. We've got to start this one step at a time. Now please, just calm down."  
  
"Fine," he sighed impatiently. "One step at a time...So...since you don't want me asking when I can wrestle again...Got any idea when I can leave the hospital?"  
  
Lita smiled at that through her tears. "A week, though you have to come back every day for physical therapy."  
  
"Okay, I can handle that. I'm gonna miss you, though."  
  
"No you're not. I'm gonna take that time off to stay with you. Rey will be in charge while I'm gone."  
  
"No way," Rob argued. "I mean, not that I have a problem with Rey being in charge, but I mean, 'No way are you not going back.'"  
  
"You need someone to stay with you."  
  
"I'm fine. It's not like Evolution's going to come after me now; what's the point? I want you to get back in there and take those guys out for me. This has gone on too long."  
  
"See," Kane smiled slightly from the corner. "I told you he'd never go for it."  
  
"Yeah, you guys were right," Lita sighed. "They all knew you weren't going to let me give up on my career for right now, but I wanted to offer anyway. And the offer still stands, for as long as you need it."  
  
"I know. But you and the rest of ECW have business to attend to, and as for right now, I'm out of commission. I'm gonna miss you guys, though."  
  
"Believe me, we'll miss you too. But we'll keep a spot open for when you come back."  
  
"I will come back," he stated seriously.  
  
"I know you will," she agreed softly.  
  
The nurse bustled in with a syringe. "All right, Mr. Szatkowski, time for some more painkillers. The knee been bothering you since you woke up?"  
  
"I haven't really noticed it," he lied. The nurse smirked. "Whatever you say, tough guy. I'm gonna add this morphine to your i.v. just in case you do start to notice it."  
  
"That's fine with me."  
  
The guys got up and started making their goodbyes. "We've gotta get back on the road, man," Stevie said. "But you know we'll be in touch."  
  
Kane just walked by and patted his shoulder roughly, never big on words. Raven said goodbye but sounded cold and distant, hospitals and all the things they implied having always spooked him in some way. Lita remained where she was sitting beside the bed.  
  
"You staying? I released you from your obligations, remember?"  
  
"I'll be gone when you wake up," she smiled angelically down at him. "But I'll stay until you go to sleep."  
  
"Okay," he murmured, the morphine in his system already starting to take effect. "Li?"  
  
"Mm-hm?"  
  
"Since everyone knows now anyway, can I have a goodbye kiss?"  
  
She giggled and blushed a little. "Okay."  
  
Lita leaned down and her flaming hair fell to lay against the pristine white sheets, a few loose strands tickled against the stubble on Rob's cheek. She place her lips against his once, gently, and pulled away. "I love you," she whispered as she stood up, so faintly he wasn't sure if he'd heard it or imagined it. "I'll see you around," she said casually as she headed for the door.  
  
"Li!" he called. She stopped, her back still facing him. "I-I love you too."  
  
She turned, looked at him once last time, winked and walked out. Despite all he'd come to realize, Rob fell into a contented sleep. His career was probably ruined. He'd be away from all the people he cared about for a very long time. His life as he knew it had come to a screeching halt.  
  
But Lita loved him. And he smiled in his sleep.  
  
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That was way too fluffy for me, but whatever. It was about time something happy happened in this fic. Anyway, sorry for the short chapter but I'm running late for my next class. I'll make it up to you...I hope. 


	34. Chapter 33

Okay, I'm glad there wasn't too much negative response to my disgusting overbundance of sap last chapter. (Sorry, sap creeps me out...even when it's my own.) Anyway, in more important news...Duke beat Michigan State! We freakin' rock! :ahem: Okay, I'm better. Sorry...I'm from Durham. Gotta go crazy for the home team, you know? Anyway, more chapter.  
  
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A solemn assembly of ECW gathered for their pre-show meeting the following Monday night. "All right," Lita began bluntly. "Rob's been stripped of his Intercontinental title and Bischoff awarded it to Randy Orton. Kane, I'd like you to be the one to go after it."  
  
"But..." he protested quietly. "It's Rob's title."  
  
"It *was* Rob's title," Lita corrected him. "But Orton has it now, and Rob won't be able to hold it for some time anyway. So for the moment being, we can work to get it back. Raven, Tommy, your match against La Resistance for the tag team titles is this coming Sunday at Armaggedon. Are you ready?"  
  
They nodded weakly.  
  
"I can't hear you," she chastised.  
  
"Yeah." "Yeah, we're ready."  
  
"Yeah, it sounds like it," Lita muttered sarcastically. "Now Spike, your match for the title is on Sunday as well. Tonight Evolution wants to have some sort of special stipulation match with us to see which side gets to determine the type of match. What sort of match were you hoping for against Triple H?"  
  
"Well," Spike answered hesitantly, a little shaken by his leader's cold demeanor. "I was thinking that, since Evolution's going to interfere anyway, we might as well level the playing field, make it a lumberjack match."  
  
"Good call," Lita approved. "Evolution doesn't have that many friends, anyway. Okay, so you all know your matches for tonight, except those who'll be in the special stipulation match, which I assume Evolution will announce at the beginning of the show. So if there are no conflicts, I'll see y'all after show."  
  
Lita walked out the door. Rey followed.  
  
"?Que diablos? ?Que estaba esto?" ("What the hell? What was that?")  
  
"Estaba nada. ?Porque estas preocupado?" ("It was nothing. What are you worried about.")  
  
"Lita, what is going on? Why are you acting like this?"  
  
"Acting like what, Rey?"  
  
He reached out and grabbed her shoulder, halting her stalking away from him. He turned her gently to face him. "Like this."  
  
She wouldn't meet his eyes. "I don't know what you mean."  
  
"Yes, you do. You're shutting us out. Why are you being so cold?"  
  
"I'm not being cold, Rey, I'm just taking care of business."  
  
"Oh...Lita," he murmured, comprehension dawning. He pulled her close. "It's okay. You don't have to try to be so strong for us. Yes, we need a leader who's strong, but we also need a reminder sometimes that you're human, too. And after the way you just acted, everyone was starting to worry that our beloved leader had been replaced by the Lita-robot from hell."  
  
She laughed a little, finally relaxing in his embrace. "I'm sorry, Rey. But if I break down, everything around me breaks down. I've gotta keep it together."  
  
"You should realize by now that that's not how our little team works. We don't stay for power or status, though we're glad to have those things again. We stay for love, for our loyalty to each other. No one's going to abandon you if you show weakness."  
  
"It was because of my weakness that Rob was injured."  
  
"Oh mamacita," Rey sighed, squeezing her closer. "No es tu culpa." ("It's not your fault.")  
  
"Yo se. Pero, es tan dificil..." ("I know. But it's so hard...")  
  
"I know, I know. It'll be okay." They heard the booming pyrotechnics announcing the beginning of the show. "Now come on. Evolution's going to call you out and you have to face them, okay? They're the only ones you can't break down in front of. But when you're done negotiating with them, you can come backstage and cry your eyes out if you want. I'll even buy you some ice cream and rent you a Meg Ryan movie," he teased.  
  
"I'm not that much of a girl."  
  
"About the chick flicks, no. But I will have a pint of Ben & Jerry's Moosetracks ready."  
  
"Fine, you can regain your status as my best friend." Lita heard through the monitors Triple H rasping her name. "I'd better get going. I'll see you in a few."  
  
"All right. Be careful, mamacita."  
  
"Don't worry. I won't do anything you wouldn't do."  
  
"That's what I'm afraid of," he murmured.  
  
Lita rushed to the guerilla position, pushing through the curtains just as her music hit. She paused at the top of the ramp, staring down the four members of Evolution standing in the middle of the ring.  
  
Stacey took the mic. "I'm so sorry, Lita, that I haven't had the chance to check up on my old teammates, so I was just wondering: How is your crippled boyfriend?"  
  
Lita judged her distance from Stacey and how close the other members of Evolution were standing on either side. So she'd probably only have a chance to clobber the bimbo a couple of times before the rest of Evolution got to her, so what? It'd be worth it to break Stacey's perfect little nose.  
  
Lita lunged for the ring. Suddenly several pairs of arms were holding her back. She turned to glare at Stevie and found she just couldn't do it. She turned her eyes to Lance, and then Justin. Nope, that just wasn't working either. She sighed. "Okay guys, I'm fine, really. I'm calm now."  
  
The guys exchanged glances, Lance nodded, and they let her go. Lita remained obediently in place, only stooping to snatch up a mic. "Hunter, get the mic away from your whore and just say whatever you need to so we can move on with the show."  
  
"That's what I love about you, Lita. Most women are nothing but talk, but you...get right...down to business," he taunted suggestively. Lita bit her tongue and looked away, trying to keep him from getting the best of her. Seeing she wouldn't take the bait, Triple H moved on. "So here's what Evolution wished to propose. A 6-woman tag match, Stacey, Molly, and Gail Kim against you and two female partners of your choice. If you can't find any partners, then you can either forfeit or fight the match by yourself. Whichever side wins gets to determine the nature of the match at Armageddon for my World Heavyweight Championship."  
  
Lita stared evenly back up at Triple H and raised the mic to her lips. Lance tugged at her arm, interrupting her. "Don't do it, Li. This isn't even a set-up; it's more obvious than a set-up. They're making it clear they plan to have you get the crap beaten out of you in a handicap match. And let's face it, Li. With Trish out with injury and Ivory and Jackie doing Tough Enough, you couldn't buy a girl friend in the business."  
  
Lita spoke her response to Lance directly into the mic. "I've got it covered. Hunter," she addressed the leader of Evolution. "Let's put even more on the line, here. How about we make it an unprecedented 8-woman tag match? Do you have someone who could be your fourth team member?"  
  
"Absolutely," he sneered. "Victoria." Lita saw out of the corner of her eye Stevie cringe.  
  
"Fine," she answered. "You're on, then."  
  
"You know, Lita," Triple H snickered. "I knew you were tough and extreme, and it made me wonder why you put up with those losers. But now I can see that you're just as crazy as the rest of them."  
  
"Maybe," Lita agreed. "But if you want to really see some crazy, extreme women, maybe you should meet my teammates." She pulled out a cell phone and began punching in numbers. "You know," she glanced up at the ring, shaking her head disappointedly. "I'd hoped to save this as more of a surprise, but I guess now's better than ever. Oh, hold on a sec, it's ringing." She held the phone up to her ear, one hand up in a pausing gesture. "Yeah...hey...yeah, it's me...Yeah, I know we agreed on next week, but we got a little situation here, oh...You're watching the show?...Good...So you know what's going on then...Okay...I'll see you in a little bit...Would you mind telling Dawn and Francine for me?...Okay...Thanks Beulah...Yeah, I'll see you later..." Lita snapped the phone shut and turned to Triple H, a hand on her hip and one eyebrow raised.  
  
He stared, mouth gaped open, back down at her. "But...how?..." he sputtered. "See you for the match, Stace," Lita called and turned on her heel to stride backstage, three equally shocked ECW boys behind her.  
  
Lance practically mugged her as soon as they were backstage. "Dawn? Dawn Marie? Why didn't you tell me?"  
  
"It was supposed to be a surprise," she smirked casually. Lance was frantic with excitement. "I haven't seen her in so long? How do I look? How's my hair?"  
  
"Really short, just like always," Justin stated for him slowly. "It's kinda hard to mess it up."  
  
"Oh, yeah. Well, do I stink? Do I need to get a quick shower?"  
  
"Lance, you haven't wrestled yet tonight," Lita reminded him. "Take it easy."  
  
"You wouldn't be taking it easy if the love of your life just appeared at your show out of the blue." Lita winced. "Dude...Matt...few weeks ago..." Stevie coughed, not very inconspicuously. "Oh, right...sorry," Lance muttered. "I'm just so nervous."  
  
"It's okay," Lita sighed. "Just, breathe."  
  
"Okay, yeah, breathing, I think I can manage that." Lance stood perfectly still, taking deep focused breaths. Justin started to giggle. "Dude, you look like you're in a lamaze class."  
  
"Calm down, Lance. It's not like I'm pregnant. At least not yet," a soft voice caused teasingly from behind them. Lance froze, eyes wide, and turned slowly. Dawn stood there bundled up in a thick winter coat holding a gymbag and waved shyly. "Um, hey."  
  
Lance simply stared at her, lost deep in thought. "Oh yeah, hey," he finally responded. "Let me get that," he took her bag. "So, how'd you get here so fast?"  
  
"The other two girls and I have been hanging around Philly. Nostalgia, or whatever." Lance nodded blankly, still simply staring. She smiled at him a little uncomfortably. "Lance? Say something."  
  
"No." He swept her up in his arms and pressed his lips firmly to hers, dipping her low. Lita, Stevie, and Justin turned away a bit awkwardly. "Um, okay, I guess we can just leave them there," Lita commented. "They seem to be doing just fine."  
  
"No kidding," Justin agreed. "Except for possible oxygen depletion...I know it's possible to suffocate by swallowing your tongue, but what about swallowing somebody else's?"  
  
"Yeah, T.M.I.," Lita shuddered. "Let's get back to the locker room and see how Tommy and Raven are doing."  
  
When they arrived, Rey, Kane, and all three Dudleys were standing outside the door. "Yeah, you really don't want to go in there," Spike explained.  
  
Lita sighed. "I take it Francine and Beulah have arrived?"  
  
"Yeah. Raven and Beulah went off to find some dark corner to talk about whatever it is that dark, morbid lovebirds talk about, but Tommy and Miss Head Cheerleader just kind of took over the lockerroom, and I have a feeling that I'm far too young to see whatever is going on in there."  
  
"I don't think anyone's old enough to see what's going on in there," D-von added.  
  
"So I'm the only ECW chick not making out with somebody?"  
  
Rey wrapped his arms around her waist from behind. "No problems, baby, you still got your favorite luchador."  
  
Lita flipped him forward over her head and down towards the floor, but the agile wrestler twisted in time to land on his feet. "And then you complain when you don't get any," he teased.  
  
"Okay, can we please focus?" Lita tried to regain control. "Now, we need the lockerroom to get ready, so, we're just going to have to open that door. Any volunteers? Kane?"  
  
He ducked his head and shied away. "Bubba? D-von? Stevie?"  
  
"Uh-uh."  
  
"No way."  
  
"Not me. I'm too innocent."  
  
"Fine. You can take barbed-wire wrapped sticks to the face, but interrupting someone having sex turns you into wusses."  
  
"It's not the same. This is Tommy and Francine we're talking about. We have no idea how freaky it's getting in that room."  
  
"Fine. Then I'll do it." Lita threw open the door as all the guys covered their eyes.  
  
Francine and Tommy were sitting on a bench, hugging. Tommy appeared to be crying on her shoulder and she rubbed his back soothingly. "And...I'll never piledrive you again..." he sobbed. "It's okay," she reassured him. "And I promise I'll never date one of your tag team partners again." "Okay," he snivelled, wiping his nose.  
  
Lita quietly closed the door and looked with wide eyes at the rest of the team. "Okay, that was even weirder than I was prepared for. Um, I guess we can give them a few minutes."  
  
"What about until then?" Bubba questioned.  
  
"Um," Rey cut in. "I've still got a pint of Moosetracks ice cream for whoever needs it?"  
  
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Yay! More chicks to help Lita babysit! And cool, non-Stacey Keibler-like chicks at that! Sorry, I just love Beulah and Francine...and I guess Dawn Marie's okay. 


	35. Chapter 34

So yeah, just to clarify, I didn't die. I did however have Christmas, school, 2 viruses (1 for me, 1 for my computer), that have kept me offline, to the point where I haven't even had the chance to read anything on ff.net, much less post something. But I'm back, and plan on returning to my same manic pace as before to make up for lost time. Hope y'all haven't forgotten me (or that I've forgotten how to do this). Here goes nothing.  
  
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Lita knew just enough about other women to understand that vanity was one of their prevailing weaknesses, so before an argument could ensue, she arranged an automatic compromise in that they all four walked out at the same time to ECW's old opening theme music, barely audible above the roaring of the crowd. Lita smirked as she stared down the ramp at their four opponents: Victoria, who didn't trust any of her teammates; Molly, insecurity masked over with disgust; Gail, still wondering how the hell she got here; and Stacey, likely to run and hide under the ring at any moment.  
  
The four ECW women looked at each other. Lita caught Beulah's eyes and nodded. They bolted.  
  
Stacey's dive for the ropes didn't come fast enough. Lita caught her by the hair and proceeded to turn her into 71 inches of leggy lumps. Tears streamed down her face as she did, her hurt and anger at losing Rob to injury all coming out at once through two flying fists.  
  
Stacey's tag team partners weren't fairing much better. Dawn Marie had hold of Gail Kim and was giving the newcomer a brutal initiation. Beulah was using her height advantage to lay into Molly. And Francine, the Queen of Extreme, was ripping apart the almost-as-crazy Victoria.  
  
Referee Charles Robinson stood in the middle of it, weakly trying to bring order. After about 8 minutes of failed attempts, he signalled for the bell to be rung. It was obvious none of these women were going for a pinfall.  
  
Lillian Garcia crept up to the ring, dodging fighting women rolling around the outside of it and took her place precariously in one corner, shielded by the ref, staring hesitantly at the violence in front of her.  
  
"The referee has declared this match a No-Contest. But since this is a special stipulation match to determine what type of match will take place for the World Heavyweight Championship this Sunday, the decision goes to ECW."  
  
At hearing their name, the four ladies stopped destroying their respective opponents to stand up and have their fists raised in victory. They were about to go back to the beatdowns when Evolution's music hit.  
  
The normally talkative trio galloped down the ramp after the women, who in stunned surprise rolled out of the ring and dashed through the crowd to take a safer route back to the lockerroom.  
  
Nine very proud men were awaiting them when they returned. Tommy scooped up Francine with a huge smile. "Babe, that was more than just violent - that was disturbing! It was beautiful!"  
  
Raven dropped to one knee in front of Beulah. "As much as my black heart is capable of, I love you even more." Lance was beaming as Dawn Marie babbled so quickly that no one else could understand what she was saying.  
  
Lita leaned against the door, watching it all with a sad, strange smile. Kane came over and stood beside her companionably. Stevie joined them, and Rey, and Justin, and the Dudleyz. They all stood their their in silence for a moment.  
  
Kane glanced down at Lita.  
  
"Ready to get out of here?"  
  
"Absolutely."  
  
Though they'd come out on top, Lita didn't feel much like celebrating. Out of a dutiful sense of loyalty she went out with them to a local nightclub, but she couldn't be forced to enjoy herself. The guys danced and cavorted while she lingered at the bar, taking longer and longer sips of her lime and vodka. Kane stayed by her side. "Like a 7 foot Doberman," she thought wryly, but the process of actually smiling required too much work in stretching her face, and all she could pull off was a grimace.  
  
Kane slid the glass away from her. She made a half-hearted attempt to reach at it, found that too tiring, and lay her forehead down on the bar. "That's enough, isn't it?"  
  
"Don't worry, I'll let you drive," she mumbled from down on the counter. "Besides, I'm a big girl. I know how much is enough."  
  
"And how much is enough?" Kane philosophically twirled the glass with one thick finger.  
  
"When I can't feel anything anymore, that'll be enough."  
  
"I can tell you what you'll be feeling if you keep drinking these. You'll be feeling like sh*t in the morning."  
  
"I don't have to wait for morning. I feel like sh*t right now."  
  
Eyes low, Kane nodded. "I know you do. Come on, let's go."  
  
He reached out for her arm. Lita tried to swat him away and slumped off the school, being caught just before hitting the floor. "Come on, Dragon Lady, time to go back to the room where you won't have so many people to make a fool out of yourself in front of."  
  
"You can't make me," she protested poutily.  
  
"That's where you're very wrong."  
  
And so she was carried out like a small child, fighting and kicking, slung over his shoulder.  
  
Lita's temper had improved once she was comfortable in the car, leaned far back in the seat, staring out the window at the night lights.  
  
Kane was less comfortable, cramped behind the wheel of her little rental sedan.  
  
"Kane?" Her voice was small and childish.  
  
"Yeah?" He didn't sound remarkably patient.  
  
"Why'd you call me 'Dragon Lady'?"  
  
He smiled a little at that. "Just something I read in a book once. You fit the description."  
  
She turned to face him, still lying back in the seat. "And what description is that?"  
  
"Well, of course she looked like you. Fair skin, and the fire hair. But more than that, she was stubborn, had a vicious temper, and was mean as hell."  
  
"Oh." In her intoxicated state, what would have otherwise been passed off as a friendly joke hurt her feelings a bit.  
  
Kane picked up on her quietness. "Of course, everyone loved her anyway."  
  
"Why? How could they love someone like that?"  
  
He shrugged, not taking his eyes off the road. "They couldn't help it."  
  
"Was she a witch?"  
  
"In a sense. Anyway, she drew into her spell everyone she meant, intentionally or not."  
  
Lita snorted. "She couldn't entrap everyone."  
  
"She did," Kane argued. "Even her enemies became obsessed with her in their own rights. But the ones she really enchanted, the ones she actually tried with, they couldn't shake her from their thoughts. She became the only thing that mattered in the world."  
  
"What happened to them?" Lita asked, but her tone was more polite interrogation this time, her voice sleepy.  
  
"They went crazy with loving her. They couldn't sleep. They couldn't think of anything else. And every moment they go to see her, got to be close to her, it was like coming up from underwater, being able to breathe again. And if for one sacred moment they got to touch her, it was like being alive for the first time."  
  
He finished his speech, blushing with embarrassment as he turned toward her. Lita lay asleep, a slight smile turning up the corner of her mouth. She looked impossibly young then, like a teenager again.  
  
Kane drove the last couple of miles to the hotel, parked in the parking lot. Lita continue to sleep like an angel, albeit an angel that would make them all miserable with her vicious hangover in the morning.  
  
Kane took those few precious moments by himself to lay his face in his hands and weep.  
  
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So, I know this is kind of weird, but I have somewhere I'm going with it. I've actually had the next few chapters in my mind for a while, so I'm just gonna keep updating until I'm stuck, so be expecting a few chapters in a row. 


	36. Chapter 35

A few chappies in a row ... what can I say? I've got the story in me, and it wants to come out.  
  
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Kane dried his face and unlocked the car, walking around to the passenger side to retrieve Lita. He lifted her out gently, cradling her head so as not to wake her. He carried her through the back entrance into the hotel, understanding how suspicious the scenario would look to the night watchman.  
  
Once they'd taken an elevator up to the top floor and Kane had made it to Lita's room unseen, he quickly unlocked the door and laid her on the bed as soon as possible. Dropping her set of keys on the nightstand, he went to make a quick retreat.  
  
"Kane?" her voice stopped him at the door. He turned around.  
  
Lita was pulling herself to a sitting position, eyes blinking confusedly at the light. "I'm still pretty drunk, huh?"  
  
"Yeah, you weren't asleep very long."  
  
"Last I remember we were leaving the bar."  
  
Kane sighed. He hadn't revealed himself after all. "Yeah, you didn't miss much."  
  
"I guess not. The others back yet?"  
  
"We just got here. It's only 12:30."  
  
"Oh, okay, that's not that bad. Hey, can you do me a favor?"  
  
Kane hesitated. That might not be the best thing to agree to with Lita in her current state. "All right."  
  
She pointed to the red light blinking above her telephone. Kane breathed a sigh of relief.  
  
"I can't really remember how to check messages right now."  
  
"Understandable," he muttered but punched in the code anyway, handing her the receiver. "It says you only have one."  
  
"Thanks," she beamed up at him, the angel, the Dragon Lady with mussed hair and liquor on her breath.  
  
Kane involuntarily shuddered and nodded, leaving quickly.  
  
Acutely aware of her own inebriation, Lita listened carefully so she wouldn't have to get Kane to come back over and show her how to replay the message.  
  
It was from Rob.  
  
"Hey Li, I was just gonna tell you I watched the show and how, you know, awesome that was and everything. Especially with bringing Dawn Marie in. That's what I love about you. You're so cool about things like that. Other girls would be weirded out about it or whatever, but it doesn't even bother you. Anyway, I'm back home now, so you can call me whenever you get this; I don't care how late it is. I just, you know, would like to talk to you. Later."  
  
Lita stared at the receiver in her hand. Such a familiar thing, yet it now somehow looked alien. Rob's message had done little to reassure her. And she had absolutely no idea what he was talking about with Dawn. "Things like that?" Would did that mean?  
  
She dialed Rob's number slowly with numb fingers, avoiding stumbling over the digits. It rang several times. Right before Lita hung up, she heard someone pick up.  
  
A lightly Midwestern-accented woman's voice answered. "Hello?"  
  
Lita paused in shock. "Hello?" the voice asked again, a little more irritated.  
  
Lita found her voice and tried badly not to slur. "I'm sorry, I was looking for Rob, but I must have the wrong num-"  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry, let me get him for you. He told me he was expecting a call."  
  
"Yeah, but I wasn't expecting this," Lita thought.  
  
"Hi. Still there? Okay, here he is."  
  
"Hello, this is Rob."  
  
"Hey," she stated blankly.  
  
"Li? Is that you? You sound awful. Is something wrong?"  
  
"I don't know," she replied shakily, biting back sobs.  
  
"Hey, look, did Nicole answering the phone freak you out? Sorry, I guess I should have mentioned that before. She's just staying over here for a while until I've got a little bit more independence back, you know? That's all."  
  
"So, is she like, a nurse or something?"  
  
"Naw, I don't need that much help. She's from here in Battle Creek, too. We were friends in high school."  
  
"Oh. Okay."  
  
"Li, come on, don't make a big deal out of this."  
  
"I-I offered to come take care of you."  
  
"Li, be realistic. You would be miserable stuck at the house all day. And the guys there really need you."  
  
"Yeah, I guess so..." she reluctantly agreed.  
  
"So what's up? Besides shocking the wrestling world by bringing back three of the most popular women ever, of course."  
  
"Yeah, that was something else I wanted to talk you about."  
  
"Okay." He sounded as confident and unhastled as ever, but there was something underlying his tone that time, a kind of cautiousness.  
  
"I was just wondering what you meant on the message, about, it was cool of me to bring in Dawn, or whatever. What do you mean?"  
  
Even with the receiver pulled away, she heard him swear under his breath. "Li, I thought you knew about that. Hell, everybody else does."  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"I'm talking about the little meaningless, totally unimportant, so insignificant I nearly forgot about it thing Dawn and I had going for a while there in ECW."  
  
"Wait a minute. When was this?"  
  
"You know, the last few months before I went up North."  
  
Lita's mouth moved in a gasp, but no sound came out. Her mind felt pulled in every direction as if by invisible magnets. She had to have misunderstood. This couldn't be the exact truth.  
  
"But ... Rob ... I mean ... That's when we were dating."  
  
"Yeah, but, come on," he pleaded, but he still sounded confident she'd given. ("Always so sure of himself," Lita thought bitterly.) "Li, it's not like we were really anything serious back then. Not like me and you are now."  
  
"Nothing serious, Rob?" Her voice had gone cold, which was a bad sign for both of them. A bad sign for anyone within a mile radius, in fact. "Sorry, Rob, if I'm overreacting, but I was under the impression that sleeping with someone made it pretty serious."  
  
"Come on, we were both a lot younger and stupider back then. Things have changed now."  
  
"No, apparently things don't change much at all. You and Nicole have a nice night."  
  
She slowly returned to the receiver to its place on the telephone. She stared at it for a moment, and the tears came. Sobbing, she rushed from the room.  
  
Kane was startled from a light doze by a banging at his door. He opened it to see his untouchable angel, his Dragon Lady, with tear-streaked make-up and bloodshot eyes crumpled sobbing against the wall.  
  
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Okay, so things are getting crazy. I blame everything that ever goes wrong on the stupidity of a boy or the coldness of a girl. Often it's the combination of both. Anyway, I'd like to hear your opinions on the subject. 


	37. Chapter 36

Okay, so I know I haven't been around. I hate making excuses, but I have to let y'all know the schedule I'm up against. Full-time school, two part-time jobs, political stuff I'm involved in, church involvement, making it in to the National Honor Society, trying to make Dean's list, breaking up with my boyfriend two weeks before Valentine's Day, etc. Oh yeah, and going to all the Duke women's b-ball games. (I'm heading to New Orleans for the Final Four in a couple of months, too.) So basically, it's been a busy time for me. But I really hate not working on this story, so I"m doing the best I can to bang out chapters in between classes (when I don't have to study, that is). For those of you who've stuck with me, thank you so much. You're why I drag myself to this laptop to write.  
  
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"Lita?" Kane questioned lowly. She shook her head, wiping at her running nose. "I was so stupid," she muttered. "So stupid."  
  
Kane stepped back from the door to allow her room to enter. She walked in, face buried in her hands, shoulders shaking. "How could I ever think...? I was so stupid."  
  
He took her by her shoulders briefly, turned her towards him. "What were you stupid about, Li? What happened?"  
  
She shook her head, rolled her eyes bitterly. Tears had streaked mascara and eyeliner out from them, a black starburst effect. "I just...I actually thought..." she sniffed, wiping at her face again. She took a few deep, hiccupping breaths. "I actually thought things could go better for me," she finished a little more calmly.  
  
Kane's voice was wary, quiet. "What happened that they can't?"  
  
She shook her head, opened her mouth, closed it again. "If I try to explain," she finally rasped.  
  
"You'll get upset again?"  
  
She nodded mutely.  
  
"Mind if I take a stab at it?" No response. Kane went on. "You hadn't known about Rob and Dawn until now?"  
  
Lita's fierce hazel eyes snapped up at them. He saw hurt, confusion...  
  
(betrayal?)  
  
...anger. "Rob and I were friends before," he quickly reminded her. "And, you know, he talks, non-stop. It just came up one time. I didn't think of it then because I didn't know you."  
  
"You knew me," she stated flatly.  
  
"Maybe, but I didn't see you."  
  
Her voice was questioning, gentle. "And now you do?"  
  
He paused a moment before responding. "I think so."  
  
"Then who am I?" she asked quietly, but he could her anger seething beneath it, the tidal wave about to break. He stared back at her, knowing the anger was not towards him but that this was simply a matter of wrong place/wrong time.  
  
"Who am I?" she pleaded again. "What's wrong with me that I have to put up with all this sh*t? When do I get a break, huh? When are things gonna ever f*cking look up?"  
  
Kane stared back evenly, and though his rage was quieter, it nearly matched her own.  
  
"Look who you're asking."  
  
Lita shook her head, coming back to herself a little bit. "Oh my God...Kane...I'm sorry..."  
  
He waved off her apology. "Don't worry. I'm used to it."  
  
"Yeah...but still. I'm sorry."  
  
"I said not to worry about it."  
  
"Right. Sorry."  
  
"Could you just stop apologizing?"  
  
Despite the situation, Lita giggled a little. "Okay. But I won't say I'm sorry for overapologizing."  
  
"Good. Because it's too late to have to think about that big a paradox."  
  
She smiled, shaking her head so wild, tear-dampened strands of hair swung across her face. "Why do you put up with me?"  
  
"Because I have to?" Her glare indicated to him that she was still too vulnerable for kidding. "Okay, okay, sorry. Because..."  
  
He wrapped her up in a huge bear hug. "Because you are such a sweet, wonderful person."  
  
"Ugh, I could have handled the sarcasm better than the sappiness."  
  
"In that case, because you're funny, ruthless, and still somehow caring."  
  
She hugged him back. "I guess I can accept that."  
  
"Of course, if I was Rey, I'd say I put up with you just 'cause I wanted to jump your body."  
  
She looked up at him. "Good thing you're our shy giant, Kane, then, huh?"  
  
"Good thing," he muttered gazing back down at her for a long moment.  
  
Kane leaned towards her. Lita looked down and his lips grazed her forehead. She pulled away gently but firmly.  
  
"I'll see you tomorrow then," she called without looking back as she fled out the door, not realizing that someone had seen them both, at that very moment. 


	38. Chapter 37

Hmm...not much going on. Frustrated with working my butt off at school. Can't wait to finish this chappie, leave school, and head for the gym for some relaxation.  
  
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Lita lay awake in bed. The lights were off but she still felt the impression of staring up at a ceiling, waiting for sleep that simply won't come. She was feeling true loneliness for the first time in a long time.  
  
Of course she had missed Rob when he had gotten injured. But then at least she could assure herself that he was at home waiting for her, thinking about her too.  
  
"Not so sure anymore, are you Li?" she whispered in the dark. She flopped over on her back, trying to get comfortable, but the position felt too open, too vulnerable. She could still remember all too clearly those long nights she'd been held captive by Evolution. Shuddering subconsciously, she flipped over on her stomach, squeezing the pillow with goosebumpy arms.  
  
She looked at the clock. 2:03 a.m.  
  
"This isn't working," she murmured. Throwing back the stifling weight of the covers, she climbed out of bed. She dressed in the dark, simply grabbing her favorite kimono she'd bought on the company's last trip to Japan. It was silky black with the golden outline of a dragon. "Rob would love this," she thought, and bit her lip. Not bothering with shoes, she grabbed her room key and headed out the door, across the plush hotel carpet down to the bar.  
  
Crossing the lobby, Lita noticed a familiar hulking shape at the bar. She smiled as she slid onto the stool next to Kane's.  
  
"I'll have whatever he's having," she told the bartender, a tired-looking, but pretty woman who couldn't have been over thirty. The woman laughed. "Whatever you say. One Sweet Moo coming up."  
  
Lita raised her eyebrows at Kane. He raised his glass. She noticed it was filled with milk.  
  
"And I say to you...'huh?'"  
  
"Warm milk with honey," Kane explained. "It's supposed to help you sleep."  
  
"I normally just crunch on some sleeping pills, or pain pills depending on whether it's been a rough night," Lita answered matter-of-factly.  
  
"Yeah, but if you did that tonight, you'd be too groggy to get up and going in the morning."  
  
"Too true," Lita agreed. The bartender slid a glass across to her. Noting the steam rising out of the top, Lita took a hesitant sip. "This is pretty good," she commented. "Where'd you get the idea?"  
  
"My mom used to make them for me," he said quietly. Lita sat silently, sipping her drink. The silence unwound itself, stretched out. The bartender looked with a curious eye over her shoulder back at them, but found nothing of interest, just an odd pair of friends commiserating at sleepness night at the bar. Broken hearts, sure, but not by each other. They didn't have the restrained awkwardness of current or former lovers. Roxeanne shrugged. She was glad they were there together at least. That way she wouldn't have to be the crying shoulder for any sob stories.  
  
"I hate him you know," Kane finally stated.  
  
"I know. But still, just a little bit, don't you...?"  
  
"Of course I love him," he interrupted gently, as if he were explaining quantum physics to a small child. "He's my brother."  
  
"I don't understand," Lita stated honestly.  
  
"I know. It's just, why did he get everything? Why did he deserve to be so much better off? He's always had more of the career, and then a beautiful wife, and now even a child..." He shook his head and finished off his drink.  
  
"Want another?" Roxeanne the bartender called, but Kane shook his head, not taking his eyes up from the bar. Lita could see the anger working underneath his skin, the subtle way his shoulder tightened where the material of the black tank top ended. His neck was even rigid, his hands clamped into fists in front of him. Lita saw the transformation, and felt a shiver of terror. She'd always kidded herself that Kane had never really been a monster, that he wasn't truly capable of harm. But she'd thought back now of the things he'd done to people, the harm he'd caused. She saw now how that had all been possible. Kane was still as much of a monster as ever before; now he was simply bridled by his care for the people around him.  
  
She reached out her hand slowly, as one would to a growling dog. Kane didn't look up. Lita lay her tiny palm across his fist. He still did not move. She unclenched his hand, entwined her fragile fingers with his and he did not resist her. Kane looked up, looked *at* her and Lita knew he really saw her. There would be no rage, no rampaging tonight.  
  
"Go to bed," Lita whispered.  
  
Kane curled his hand around hers, and placed Lita's hand gently back on the bar before pulling away. "You know I won't leave you down here by yourself."  
  
She smiled. "On the off-chance that Evolution found out what hotel we were at, in all of this city, and set up an all-night stakeout behind the ficus trees in the lobby?"  
  
"No," his voice was low, but a little shaky. "On the off-chance that any other man will pass you by and see how beautiful you are in this very moment. It may be selfish, but that's a privelage I claim for myself."  
  
Lita's smile faded and her heart sped up. "Thank you," she whispered sincerely. "I...I really needed that right now."  
  
Kane shrugged, hidden once again behind his mask of indifference. Lita leaned toward him, kissed him quickly and innocently with honey-stickied lips, telling herself that they were adults, they were friends, and this was all perfectly all right. No one was going to get hurt.  
  
"We fell through the ice when we tried not to slip..." she thought suddenly, but instead asked, "You ready to go, then?"  
  
"Yeah," he sounded a little out of breath.  
  
"Okay." She chugged down the rest of her drink. "Let's get out of here. Morning's gonna come too soon."  
  
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The line, "We fell through the ice when we tried not to slip," is from the wonderful song, "The Freshmen", by the Verve Pipe. I don't know why, but I really like this chapter. Maybe because I have a feeling that many won't. 


	39. Chapter 38

Wow. I mean, shake-a-doo. I was honestly not expecting such wonderful reviews for last chapter, but y'all have lifted my spirits. I just feel like this story has grown totally out of my control now and I have to just let my beloved characters do what they want. (It's so hard to let 'em go when they grow up. :sniff:) Seriously, this story has been such an outlet. (It doesn't help that the absolute WORST day of the year is tomorrow.) Anyway, let's see how everyone's doing. I'm kinda curious where this is going, myself.  
  
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Lita closed the hotel door behind her, the first genuine smile she'd felt in a long time playing across her lips. Hope had found its way home to her. Something about Kane, something about the childlike naivete he hid had brought her own innocent optimism back. Things looked bad now, but they'd been much, much worse. And though they might get bad again, they were sure to get better, too. Tomorrow morning she'd call Rob, or better yet, arrange a surprise visit back to Battle Creek, and they'd work all this out. On Sunday, Spike would win the World Heavyweight Title, Evolution would be so ashamed they'd never show their faces again, and they'd all live happily-ever-after.  
  
Lita fell into bed and was fast asleep.  
  
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The alarm clock shrieked in her ear at 6:30. Lita swatted at the snooze button absentmindedly and turned over back to sleep.  
  
6:35. Alarm. Snooze.  
  
After about the fourth alarm, Lita rolled out of bed and stared in disbelief at the clock. A ten-minute drive to the airport, finding the gate, getting through security, waiting to board, checking out of the hotel...  
  
"I have 15 minutes to get ready!" she thought.  
  
She grabbed all of her clothes out of the drawers, throwing everything, both clean and dirty, into her suitcase. She'd just have to wash all of it when she got home.  
  
Leaving the lights turned off, she fumbled in the dim light for some aspirin, crunching on the pain pills so that they'd take effect faster.  
  
"God help me if I ever decide to become a professional alcoholic," she mumbled. "It's painful enough as an ameteur."  
  
She stripped down and jumped into the shower, accomplishing a feat that would impress even the most adept ambidextric, by brushing her teeth and shampooing her hair at the same time.  
  
An exact 14 minutes and 37 seconds later she burst into the hotel lobby dragging her luggage behind her. "Okay guys, sorry I cut it so close there, but..." They weren't even looking at her. ECW was broken into two sides in an apparent stand-off. On one side were all three Dudleys, Stevie, Justin, Lance, and Dawn Marie. One the other was Kane, Rey, Tommy, Francine, Raven, and Beulah.  
  
"Do I want to know?" Lita asked timidly. Thirteen heads turned in her direction. All were angry, but half of it was directed at her.  
  
"There's been a simple misunderstanding," Kane stated quietly.  
  
"What's there to misunderstand?" Spike burst out. "I saw you two!"  
  
"You're jumping to conclusions," Raven bit back at them.  
  
"Oh, right, you're just gonna trust whatever Kane says. Well Rob's my friend, and I think he has a right to know what's going on," Bubba argued.  
  
"What exactly is going on?" Lita begged.  
  
Dawn glared at her. "Oh, you're so innocent, aren't you...As if you had no idea what we're talking about."  
  
"I'd have an idea if someone would please tell me." Lita felt tears threatening. Why were her friends fighting? Why were some of them so angry at her? "Please, tell me. What's going on?"  
  
Lance wouldn't look at her. Dawn continued to glare. Justin would glance up every once in a while and only shake his head. Bubba looked confused, D-von looked angry, and Spike looked bitterly hurt. Stevie had retreated off a little, staying as far away from the battle as possible.  
  
"Tell me," Lita begged again.  
  
"Spike saw you and Kane last night," Justin stated flatly.  
  
"So? I don't understand. Is hanging out at the bar a federal offense now?"  
  
"Li," Spike cut her off. "I, I saw the kiss. What's going on?"  
  
Her head seemed to be exploding. Why did everything have to all go wrong at once? Why did it happen like this? "It's not how it looks," she tried to explain, and the words sounded weak even to her.  
  
"Then how is it?" D-von asked.  
  
"Not how it looks," she stammered in a whisper, and then, more to herself, "God I can't handle this right now. F*ck it."  
  
Lita picked up her bags and headed for the door. "Y'all can work this out how you like. Have a freaking brawl in the hotel lobby for all I care. I'm tired of being your mother."  
  
Kane caught up to her as she passed the concierge. "Don't do this Li. Don't walk out. Where will you go?"  
  
"I'm going home," she stated, and stepped outside.  
  
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So, not the happiest chapter (nor the longest) but I promise things will look up. I'm actually about to start work on the next chapter right now. Oh, and the term "shake-a-doo" is from a wonderful little movie called "Win a Date With Tad Hamilton!" I watched it solely for my obsession with Topher Grace, but I liked the movie for itself. 


	40. Chapter 39

I didn't have any morning classes today because of snow, whoopie! (Don't you love how winter weather just cripples us Southerners, with our acclimation to warm climates?) Seriously, I heard the best explanation of snow one time. It's scary. It means that it's so cold that water freezes as soon as it hits the air. Your body is 70% water. Think about that. (That was from nuklearpower.com, by the way.) So, how was everyone else's V-days? I spent mine watching movies and restarting good ol' FFVIII. (Irvine Kinneas...:sigh:) Anyway, let's see how everyone's favorite never-gonna-happen-in-real-life stable is doing.  
  
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Lita took the first available plane back to North Carolina. Normally she'd drive a rental car back from short distances, but she wanted to be home as soon as possible. She wanted to be somewhere without responsibility.  
  
Not wanting to call anyone for a ride, and thereby alerting them to her presence in the state (she really had no one to rely on but Jeff anyway, and Jeff wasn't exactly the posterboy for reliability), Lita took a cab back to Sanford from the RDU airport. It was a ridiculously long way to go by cab, but these were extenuating circumstances.  
  
She collapsed on the couch as soon as she made it through the front door with her luggage. Cody tried to get her to play, but quickly caught onto the fact that his lady was not feeling like herself. He laid his muzzle on her leg and looked up at her with sad puppy eyes.  
  
She scratched him behind the ears. "Sorry Code, I'm just not up to it today. Mommy's had a very rough week. And since no one else is around for me to whine to, you're gonna have to hear all about it."  
  
"Mommy had this one special friend. His name was Rob. To put it in dog terms that you'll understand, Rob's kinda like, well...I guess like a Sheltie. He's very sweet, and he always wants to make you happy, but he gets under your feet all the time and isn't always very bright. Oh, and he's not very particular; he just kinda loves everyone." She smiled wryly, amused at herself. "Confessing everything to a dog," she thought. "At least they're cheaper than a shrink." "So anyway Cody, you get what Mommy's friend Rob is like? Like a Sheltie. Well, anyway, Rob was Mommy's special friend. And, you know Mommy has a lot of friends, but you're only supposed to have one special friend. Well, Mommy found out that Rob had another special friend. And she's kinda like a poodle. You know, pretty and yappy. So, Mommy got mad. And you know how Mommy gets when she gets mad. She gets stupid."  
  
Lita laughed. "I'm really going crazy," she thought. "So, in that sense, I guess Mommy's like a rottweiler. Well anyway, Mommy was mad, so she went to go hang out with another friend of hers, Kane. Kane is like you, he's like a Doberman. He's big and quiet but very, very protective. You'd like him. He looks out for Mommy."  
  
"Well, some people got confused and thought that Kane was Mommy's new special friend. So they're really pissed. And they formed a lynch mob. And Mommy ran and flew all the way back to North Carolina so she could stay with you, her favorite friend, and the only one in the world who always makes sense."  
  
Cody stared blankly up at her.  
  
"Riiight. Well, I guess after that you deserve a treat." She jumped to her feet. "Come on Cody."  
  
Lita and Cody the doberman ran out to the backyard and played tag and fetch for a couple of hours until they were both exhausted. Lita smiled as she headed back inside. That had really been what she needed. Cody never asked her to make important strategic decisions or to solve arguments. He just wanted her to be happy.  
  
"Cody," she said from the kitchen counter as she poured his food in his dish. "You really want to make me give up my current line of work sometimes."  
  
"Please don't do that."  
  
Lita dropped the heavy bag of dog food and Cody yelped, startled.  
  
They both turned to see Rob standing in the entrance from the dining room.  
  
Lita asked the first question that popped to mind, not caring how harsh it sounded. "How did you get in here?"  
  
Rob's eyes went wide, hurt. "The front door was unlocked. I knocked, but no one came and I got worried. So I came to check on you."  
  
Lita sighed. "I'm sorry. I was out back. Must be why we didn't hear it."  
  
Cody was growling from her side. "Cody, at ease." He sat down at her side and stopped growling, but his teeth were still bared and his eyes were trained on Rob.  
  
"I guess I don't have to worry about you with him around, huh?" Rob asked.  
  
"Not at all. So...why are you here?"  
  
"Why do you think I'm here? I was worried about you."  
  
"Yeah, I was expecting a response of that sort. What I meant was, how did you know I was here?"  
  
"Oh, that. Kane told me."  
  
Lita shook her head at him. "Huh?"  
  
"He called me and told me that you'd gone home. He was worried about you."  
  
"Did he tell you why I left?" Lita asked hesitantly.  
  
"The mix-up? Yeah, he told me."  
  
"And...you're not mad?"  
  
Rob sighed and shifted on his crutches. "I'm sorry, but...do you mind?"  
  
"Oh, no, go ahead," Lita stammered. "I'm sorry, I wasn't even thinking."  
  
"It's okay," Rob hobbled back into the living room and lowered himself carefully onto the couch. Lita watched him sadly, noting the rods and screws extending from his cast. "You shouldn't have come out here," she stated with soft realization. "How's the recovery coming?"  
  
"Pretty good. I'm actually ahead of schedule. They're saying I should be up to a walking cast in a few weeks."  
  
"That's great Rob," Lita said quietly.  
  
"Hey," he flashed her his trademark self-assured smile. "I'm gonna be fine. I always am. Now come here. I really want to tell you something."  
  
Lita sat down on the far side of the couch. She crossed her legs indian-style and faced him.  
  
"Then I defer to my previous question. How aren't you mad?"  
  
His voice was serious for once. "I know I made a mistake, Li. And I know I hurt you. So even if something did happen between you and Kane, it was nothing more than I deserved."  
  
"Wow," Lita whispered in awe. "Did you rehearse that? I could never get off a speech like that without sounding jealous or pissed."  
  
"Hey, I never said I'm not jealous. I'm so jealous it hurts. I'm so jealous I can't stand it. It's driving me crazy. But, I know it's my own fault. So...," he smiled, a dimple appearing in his left cheek. "I guess I won't kill Kane."  
  
Lita snorted. "I'd like to see you try."  
  
"Been there, done that. Remember?"  
  
"Oh yeah."  
  
"No, honestly, I'm glad in a way."  
  
"Okay," Lita shook her head. "Now I know you're just flat-out lying."  
  
Rob grinned mischieviously. "You've only been here a few hours and already your Southern accent sounds stronger. That's so sexy..."  
  
"Anyway," Lita interrupted him. "You were saying?"  
  
"No, really, I'm glad this happened. 'Cause I know that no matter what happens, even if everyone else turns their backs on you, even if I'm laid up with an injury a thousand miles away, you've got a 7-foot monster there doing all he can to protect you. It's very reassuring. And..." Rob took a deep breath. "If something were to develop between you and he, I couldn't think of anyone else, besides me of course, that I'd rather you be with. I mean, I know I can't be there for you right now, and he can take care of you. And if you think you'd be happiest with Kane..." Rob lowered his eyes, and when he raised his face to her, she was struck by both his sad smile and the tears lining his eyes. "You have my blessing, even my encouragement."  
  
"Sorry, but that's not gonna work," Lita told him.  
  
"Why not? Damn it, Li, I just poured my heart out to you. What do you want?"  
  
She moved close to him, stared straight into his eyes. "I want you. Not Kane, not anyone else. I want you. And I won't give up on you recovering if you won't give up on me being faithful."  
  
He answered her with a kiss, both passionate and gentle. She pulled away, breathless and giggled.  
  
"What?" Rob asked, his self-confidence finally shaken a little.  
  
"Sorry, it's just that we never had any privacy on the road, sneaking around back in lockerrooms or hotels, and now we have all the privacy in the world and you have a banged-up knee so we can't do anything about it." Lita's giggles evolved into fullblown hysterical laughing.  
  
"Fine," Rob smirked. "You're right."  
  
"Of course I am," she smiled, standing up and stretching her back so that every single vertebrae creaked. "Now after that little pep talk, I guess I have to get back to my team and work out this mess. But first..."  
  
She lowered herself down so that she was straddling Rob's lap, carefully avoiding his injured knee. She tossed her hair back over one shoulder, exposing the milky white of her neck as she pressed full-length up against him, giggling mischieviously at the way he shivered underneath her. She ran her hands up his face, through his hair and laced them together behind his neck. Leaning down, she kissed him, slow and sensual and for nowhere near long enough. "You'd better be waiting for me, *alone*, when I get back. Or else."  
  
Lita stood up, picked up her bags and headed for the door. "Lock up when you leave," she called over her shoulder.  
  
Rob let his head flop back against the house and groaned in frustration. "The things you do to me, woman," he muttered.  
  
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heeheehee Okay, so I'm wicked. That could have so been a much more, um :cough: "interesting scene", but poor Rob, I left him to suffer. Alone. bwahaha 


	41. Chapter 40

Yes, I'm back again. Sorry I've been so sporadic. I had an 8:00 Adv. Spanish Grammar test this morning, immediately followed by a Microeconomics test, and a major paper due this afternoon in English. :sigh: I wish I could remember what sleep was like. Anyway, story time!  
  
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Lita walked into the arena alone, gymbag slung over her shoulder. It was Sunday night, the moment they'd all been waiting for. Here and now, Spike would finally get to face Triple H one-on-one in a lumberjack match.  
  
Lita frowned. Well, at least she hoped it'd be one-on-one. It depended on how well her guys did keeping the other members of Evolution out of the ring.  
  
She shook her head, as if that physical expression could somehow clear her thoughts. No time to worry about that. The first thing she had to do was face the team and get this whole other mess settled before the actual pay-per-view started.  
  
Taking a deep breath, Lita opened the door to the lockerroom. The Dudleys, Justin, Lance, and Dawn Marie were near the front, and their eyes went hard as diamonds as she walked in. Rey, Kane, Tommy, Francine, Raven, and Beulah were more towards the back, and they appeared far more sympathetic. Stevie was off to the side, ignoring them all as best as he could.  
  
"We've got a f*cking World Heavyweight Title match to win tonight, so let's get this sh*t over with right now." The raw anger in her voice snapped them to attention. She continued as though she hadn't noticed.  
  
"Nothing happened. I don't care if you believe it or not. For the record, Rob believes me, and this is between us, anyway. If you want to do the right and honorable thing, then just stay the hell out of it. If you're pissed or unhappy or whatever, leave. Simple as that. 'Cause right now I don't care."  
  
No one moved an inch. Lita's shoulders slumped in visible relief. "Okay then," she said a little more quietly. "Spike, do you know who you want your three lumberjacks to be?"  
  
"Bubba, D-von,...and Kane," he answered. Lita's mind relaxed a little. If that was his choice, then obviously things were a little more okay. Maybe Rob had called him and tried to explain. Maybe he just actually believed her. Who knew.  
  
"Okay, that's probably good picks," she agreed. "They have us outnumbered for the most part, and since lumberjacks won't have much opportunity for any sort of aerial moves, it's best if we put our big guys in, too. The only wildcard left is that, with Batista gone, we have no idea who H's third teammate is gonna be. Not that it matters." She smiled slightly at Spike, silently asking, "Are we okay? Still friends?"  
  
He smiled back. That was enough for her.  
  
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There was no wildcard to worry about at all, apparently. Evolution, basically friendless, (or at least devoid of any friends loyal enough to face ECW for them), only had a lumberjack team consisting of Randy Orton and Ric Flair. Their third member was nowhere to be seen, though Lita remained at the gorilla position with a folding chair in hand, just in case.  
  
From her vantage point at the top of the stage, she couldn't believe what she was seeing. Neither could anyone else, for that matter.  
  
Their guys had succeeded in beating the crap out of Evolution and keeping them away from the ring. Spike had just slipped away from an attempted pedigree to turn it into an Acid Drop. Triple H's shoulders were on the mat. Earl Hebner was counting. The crowd chanted along as his hand hit the mat...  
  
"THREE!" Lita screamed, and rushed down to join her teammates as the bell rang and Spike slumped down to the mat in blissful exhaustion next to his adversary. The smile in Lillian Garcia's voice was apparent as she presented "your new World Heavyweight Champion".  
  
Bubba was actually crying, D-von couldn't stop smiling, and though Kane was happy, he appeared just as surprised as everyone else there. Lita slid into the ring and helped Spike to his feet where he grabbed her in a fierce embrace.  
  
"You really did it," she whispered in his ear, laughing through her tears. "Can you believe this is happening?"  
  
Their dialogue was interrupted by a fierce metallic clang. D-von had just ducked in time to miss Brock Lesnar's chairshot.  
  
Evolution was making their way to their feet. Lita was proud, but she was also smart. She knew her guys were outnumbered and exhausted. And now that they had the title, there was nothing more to remain here for.  
  
"Go!" she shouted and pointed back towards the lockerroom, diving between the ropes herself. She'd made it half-way through when something caught her. She looked back to see Triple H holding her ankle, apparently having just wokened up and realized what happened, and really pissed about it. She used to free leg to kick him squarely in the teeth and fell the rest of the way to the floor outside the ring. Bubba fell on top of her.  
  
She shifted painfully, trying to dislodge his weight, and looked up in one surreal moment to see Nathan Jones taking out D-von and seriously stunning Kane with two more fierce chairshots.  
  
"This can't be happening..." she thought distantly, while a wiser, more cynical version of herself thought, "So this was the trick. The only flaw in their plan was Triple H actually losing the title."  
  
Lita felt her wrists being clenched as she was dragged out from underneath her unconscious teammate. Evolution and their two new friends were the only ones standing as Brock Lesnar threw her back into the ring. She circled, searching desperately for a mode of escape. The five of them had her surrounded.  
  
Kane reached up, caught Brock Lesnar from behind and pulled him backwards over the top rope by the neck. He fought past Orton into the ring and grabbed Lita's hand to pull her away. Nathan Jones caught him in the back from behind and he fell, still enveloping her hand in his. Triple H joined the fray and Kane went down face-first, unable to stand up to all of them at once.  
  
Lita was knocked back out of the way and they taunted her as they continued to beat her friend, kicking him while he lay curled up on the mat, trying to protect his head with his arms and leaving the rest of him open to attack. Lita looked around her for something, anything. Jones's chair was lying concealed half-under the ring.  
  
She took out Triple H from behind, knowing it would give her time to get Orton and Flair too, since they didn't seem capable of taking a piss without his order. She stood beside Kane's unmoving body with fierce protectiveness, brandishing the chair and daring Jones or Lesnar to come near her. They looked at each other mistrustfully, and backed away, retreating up the ramp slowly enough that they could pretend they weren't afraid.  
  
Someone tapped her shoulder and Lita swung around, pausing in time to keep herself from clubbing Spike. He stared calmly into her eyes.  
  
"Come on. Let's get him to the back and a medic." 


	42. Chapter 41

Just for warning, this story's going to start getting flat-out nuts in the next few chapters. I cannot apologize for this because I have no control of it. The characters told me what they're going to do, and I have to let them. I'm sorry.  
  
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It took quite a bit of work to support Kane on the long walk backstage and to manuever him onto the much too small table in the first aid room. The trainer looked at Lita suspiciously. "Shouldn't you get him to a hospital?"  
  
She didn't notice the look, too focused on trying to get Kane to wake up. "Huh? Oh, Kane doesn't do well with hospitals. It'd probably only make things worse."  
  
"Doesn't do well with hospitals?"  
  
"Yes, he doesn't do well with hospitals. He'll wake up not knowing where he is, all hooked up to tubes and junk and he'll freak out. He doesn't like hospitals and unless it's really necessary, I'm not putting him in one."  
  
The medic looked to Spike for help. "She's right," he assented quietly. "And she wouldn't do anything that wasn't in his best interest." His eyes narrowed in an uncharacteristicly cold expression. "Perhaps you should stop grilling us about this and do your job and start helping him."  
  
The bigger man met his gaze and looked away quickly, backing down. "Fine," he muttered. "This guy's probably got a concussion. What happened to him?"  
  
"Far too many chairshots. And if he's got a concussion, shouldn't he be awake?"  
  
"They'd have less trouble keeping him awake at a hospital."  
  
Lita's eyes, brimming with tears of fury, snapped to the man's face. "Look you sorry bastard, why don't you just help us? Or at least just tell us what we can do and then we'll be out of your way."  
  
The trainer sighed. "Wake him up, keep him awake for at least the next four hours, and keep ice on his injuries to keep down the swelling. Now get the hell off my table; I've got more important clients coming."  
  
In ironic timing, the door slammed open as Flair and Orton half-dragged the former Champ in. Lita moved instinctively in front of Kane. The two teams regarded each other carefully, debating how worthwhile a fight would be right now. Lita stood her ground, unmoving.  
  
Not taking her eyes off of Evolution, Lita half-turned back towards Kane, patting his cheek with one hand. "Kane? Kane, wake up. We need to get out of here. Kane?"  
  
He mumbled something groggily and his eyes slowly opened. He blinked once at the doctor and then turned to see Lita. Relaxing a little, he looked up at the room and seemed to gather his bearings.  
  
"What happened?" he mumbled, blinking at the light.  
  
"I'll explain later," she muttered, glancing back at the three men blocking the door. "Can you get up right now?"  
  
He pushed himself up slowly, falling on his feet off the narrow counter. Lita moved her shoulder under him just in time to be able to support enough of his weight that'd he remain standing. Spike moved quickly to his other side.  
  
It was then that Kane looked up and slowly noted Evolution standing in the door. Though they all knew he could barely move, he pulled off an expression of complete indifference at their presence.  
  
"Let us past," Lita stated fiercely. Orton and Flair's eyes met. Both looked weary. Incredibly, they backed up out of ECW's way, taking their leader with them. Lita, Kane, and Spike filed carefully past them, watching the trio for just one false start.  
  
None came. Evolution went into the room they had just vacated, and the three members of ECW made their long journey to the lockerroom.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
There was little talk on the way out to the rental cars. Their victory that night had been hard-earned, and the three Dudley brothers were still nursing injuries, not to mention Kane's semi-conscious state.  
  
After what seemed like hours but could have only been 30 minutes, everyone was back to the hotel and in their rooms. Sleeping would take the place of celebrating tonight; it had simply been too long a week. After seeing everyone safely off to bed, Lita returned to Kane's room.  
  
He was sitting upright in the big kingsize bed, appearing almost comatose as he stared straight ahead. "Kane?" He turned slowly to look up at her. She sat down carefully beside him. "How are you doing?"  
  
He shook his head slowly. "Still kinda out of it?" He nodded. Lita bit her lip. It hurt to see him like this; she was used to him being so invincible.  
  
"Kane, is there anything I can do? Anything I can get you?"  
  
In a move of surprising gentleness and vulnerability, he leaned over, laid his head on her shoulder. Lita sat very still, stunned, and not wanting to make him uncomfortable. He leaned against her, rested on her like a child would.  
  
"You saved me tonight," he growled in that low way of his.  
  
"Of course I did," she said surprised. "I had to. They weren't letting up. I just wish I could have done something sooner."  
  
He tilted his head a little to look up at her. "You did enough. I was afraid they were going to all go after you next."  
  
"Eh, but they're cowards," she replied nonchalantly. "And I ended up fine."  
  
"You didn't know it was going to all be fine," he protested. "You could have really gotten hurt out there."  
  
"Comes with the territory, doesn't it?" she shot back. "When it comes down to it, isn't it pretty much our jobs to get hurt?"  
  
"Just don't do it again," he replied casually.  
  
Lita laid her head down on top of his. "I can't promise that."  
  
In answer, Kane took her hand carefully, entwined his fingers with hers.  
  
"I'm so scared," she whispered, sudden teariness in her voice. "I just know I'm going to make some huge mistake and ruin everyone's lives. I don't know what to do. I don't know how I got myself into all of this. It was little more than a game when it started out, and now...I'm scared."  
  
"I'm going to do whatever I can to take care of you," he promised. "Lita, I'd die for you."  
  
"I know...and that's part of what scares me."  
  
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Told you this was getting weird. Crap, I didn't even have any idea how weird it was getting. It was like I was in this trance and I looked up and a chapter was there. I seriously felt like I was in that hotel room...I can't explain it. Maybe this is why my roommate thinks I need to get out more. I know she's right. 


	43. Chapter 42

So, in case y'all haven't seen "Adaptation", go do that. It's about an author writing his own life into his story. Kinda how this is turning out. Hence, if this story keeps getting odder and odder, you can assume that's the same thing that's happening with me. I think that's why I like writing this...is far less complicated. But this isn't my blog, and y'all aren't here to hear about my personal life, so here we go with the story.  
  
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"One day I'll fly away...Leave all this to yesterday...What more could your love do for me?"  
  
Lita lay in the big empty hotel bed, staring up at the ceiling as the alarm clock, set to radio, announced it was time to get up. In truth, she'd been lying awake for some time now. She had things on her mind, and an uneasy decision to make.  
  
"How did it all end up like this?" she asked herself. "We did what we set out to do, we won the Championship, but at what cost? People's lives have been permanently altered, and who can say for good or for bad? Couples have been reunited...but if they've already failed once before, who can predict that reuniting them will work? Spike is the Champ now and has a totally different mindset of himself...but championships don't last forever, and hasn't this all just let to more injury for him? Rob still can't walk without at least one crutch...what have I ever done for him? And yeah, Kane's not a monster anymore, but who can say that he's happier now? He's so distant...I feel like I'm losing him. I feel like I'm losing them all."  
  
Lita sat straight up in bed. "It can't go on like this," she said aloud.  
  
With a determination that she hadn't seen in herself since the night she escaped Evolution, Lita packed her bags and left the hotel.  
  
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Lita walked through the dark back parking lot, eyes set straight forward on the arena. She was still unsure, still didn't know what she wanted to do or say. And there was no one else to make the decision for her.  
  
She was on the ground with the wind knocked out of her before she'd even realized she'd been hit. Randy Orton was on her back, had her arms pinned down. She cared little at this point; just another day.  
  
"What do you want now?" she muttered.  
  
"Did you really think you were going to get away with that?" he spat beside her ear. "No one screws with the Champ. You and your friends made a big mistake."  
  
"So, beating the hell out of me is going to get you the title back? It's too late." She shifted a little. "Come on; I thought we were done with this. Just let me go already."  
  
Triple H squatted down next to her and took his glasses off. "Lita, dearest, you should know by now that we always have a plan. We're not going to perpetuate any senseless violence."  
  
"No, just cold, brutal, resourceful violence. Besides your plans never work. So leave me the hell alone."  
  
She could tell by his voice that she was finally getting to him. "Our plan was foolproof last time. The only reason it failed was because of that traitor Batista. But I have it on good authority that he will pay the consequences, even if he's jumped shows. You can't run far enough to get away from us."  
  
"Obviously," she muttered. "Fine, so can we just get along with whatever 'plan' of yours there is this time so that I can get my face up off the concrete and go foil it?"  
  
"You're welcome to try," he challenged as Orton pulled her roughly up off the ground. She slapped his hands away irritably. "And please, for God's sake, could you not leave me alone with the rentboy this time? I think he must just be hitting puberty, 'cause he's really horny."  
  
"Randy, contain yourself, at least until we get back to the hotel," HHH ordered. He sighed and set his hands on Lita's shoulders again, tightening his grip to assure she wouldn't run away. They started to walk, and she could see what they were pushing her towards...a big cargo van, almost like a dog catcher would use.  
  
"I thought you guys normally travelled in style," she pointed out.  
  
"We do," Triple H assured her. "You don't."  
  
"Fair enough."  
  
They shoved her into the back of the van quickly, barely cracking the door open in their haste not to be seen. Lita crashed onto something big, but not quite hard enough to be the wall or floor. A hand was suddenly fixed over her mouth and a pair of lips breathed whispers against her ear.  
  
"Don't give any sign that I'm back here," Kane whispered. "We're going to petrify them when they open that door."  
  
Lita nodded to show she understood and Kane released her. She turned and hugged him, waiting for the van to slow to a stop.  
  
They didn't have to wait long. Only a few minutes later, the sound of outside traffic receeded and they slid across the floor a little with inertia as the big van rumbled to a stop. Lita looked at Kane, and in the barely ventilated darkness could see him nod. They rose to their feet.  
  
Randy threw open the double doors and his smug grin quickly faded. Lita took great pleasure in the way Triple H's jaw dropped.  
  
Lita stood squarely in the middle of the opening, arms folded across her chest. Kane stood directly behind her, one massive arms wrapped forward around her shoulders. He had to hunch a little, unable to completely stand up in the van.  
  
"We can do this the easy way, or we can do this the way that leaves you all walking," he informed them. "For us, the easy way is to simply snap every fragile bone in your bodies until your muscles collapse on themselves. The difficult way involves us restraining ourselves enough to allow you to keep breathing. You back up out of our way and let us leave peacefully. Oh, and you have five seconds to decide before Red here loses her patience and starts breaking things."  
  
"You're bluffing," Triple H said shakily.  
  
"Maybe...but is that a risk you're willing to take?" Lita interrogated. "Oh, and by the way, you're down to two seconds now."  
  
Evolution scurried quickly back. Kane and Lita jumped down out of the back of the van, keeping an eye on them the whole time. Lita looked around, and the only other vehicle she saw in the huge parking deck was the limo.  
  
"Suitable transportation?" she asked. Kane nodded.  
  
Lita walked to the driver's side door and ripped it open. The driver looked up at her in terror.  
  
"5 out of 5 surgeon generals are of the opinion that it is in the best interest of your health to get out of there RIGHT NOW."  
  
He didn't ask to see her sources, but merely nodded and half-fell/half-rolled out of the driver's seat. Lita swung herself in behind the steering wheel, slamming and locking the door behind her. Kane was already seated at shotgun.  
  
"Ready?" she asked. One simple nod, again.  
  
She gunned the engine, tires squealing, and spun a doughtnut around the terrified members of Evolution before heading down the ramp at such a speed that they went airborn for a few seconds. Right before they pulled out of sight, Lita couldn't resist rolling down the window and flipping them the bird as she and Kane drove off in their opponents' limo.  
  
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heeheehee Kind of a short little light chapter before I get into some of the serious plot stuff again. Oh well; I thought it was fun. The song at the beginning, by the way, is "I'll Fly Away" from "Moulin Rouge", of course. I'm listening to that right now and just love it. 


	44. Chapter 43

Yeah, it's one of those manic days when I write, like, three chapters in a row. I can't help it; the story's all built up inside. I need outlet.  
  
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Spike rushed up to them when they returned back to the arena. "Where were you guys? We were all really worried."  
  
"Car trouble," Lita snickered and soon they had both collapsed in a heap of giggles.  
  
"Do I want to know?"  
  
Unable to stop laughing, Lita pointed out towards the parking lot. Spike looked out the door. "What happened to Evolution's limo?"  
  
Lita raised her hand, still giggling. Tommy looked at her with a hint of concern. "Lita...what did you do?"  
  
"You should see that thing over speedbumps! Tommy, you'd love it."  
  
He glanced at his tag team partner. "We're in trouble, aren't we?"  
  
Raven nodded. "It's appearing as such."  
  
Beulah smiled at Lita bemusedly. "This sort of thing happen often?"  
  
"No, but they gave us a good excuse. Here," she tossed the keys to Francine. "I think there's still a little gas in it if y'all wanna go try it out."  
  
Francine dangled the keys from one finger. "Please don't tell me I'm holding my life in my hands."  
  
"Naw..." Lita assured her. "It's gonna take a while for them to walk back from that parking deck. So tonight, ECW are the ones who are styling and profiling."  
  
"Since it's us, I guess it's kind of appropriate that we've already cracked in the windshield, busted a taillight, and had to change one of the tires," Kane commented. Lita started laughing again, so hard that she snorted.  
  
"But we'll return it to them with a full tank of gas," Lita managed between maniacal fits of laughter.  
  
"As much fun as I'm having being painfully confused, do you two want to come back to the lockerroom so you can explain this?" Stevie asked.  
  
"Okay," Lita nodded, still laughing.  
  
Bit by hysterical bit, the story came out. Soon even D-von was chuckling. "Okay, so you're forgiven for scaring us senseless when you came back acting insane," Spike assured her. "So what's up for tonight? What's going on?"  
  
"Well..." Lita looked at all of them, thinking about them one by one. Tommy, who couldn't resist an opportunity to make someone laugh but who could still hold his own against any opponent (excluding Francine). Raven, who tried so hard to come off cold and uncaring but who'd been so gentle when she'd needed him and who now sat so protectively close to Beulah, looking at her with complete adoration.  
  
Lance, who tried to be serious but had finally lightened up and become a complete goofball, especially now that Dawn Marie was back. Justin, who always picked on his best friend but was in reality a hopeless romantic himself. Stevie, who, for a wrestler, avoided confrontation at all costs.  
  
Bubba, who sometimes took things too seriously but who cared deeply for his brothers. D-von, who was never oversensitive about anything and could always be relied on to be rational when everything around him fell apart. Spike, who was sweet as an angel and tough and tenacious as a rat terrier all at once, and who was always sure that things were gonna work out okay.  
  
Rey, who was always so quiet but who always seemed to understand exactly what was going on with an almost sage-like wisdom. She swore he could read her mind, was doing so right now, in fact: he could see her decision in her very eyes, before she even knew what her choice would be.  
  
And Kane. Her precious, beloved Kane. He was still a mystery sometimes, with the neckbreaking speed at which his mood could change, but he was still so reliable in a sense. He had been there for her unquestioningly, never concerned about the danger to himself. And yet he still didn't understand it when she acted that same way for him. Given the chance, he could love everyone...except himself. She knew that she would miss him deeply, that she would ache for him in some way that not even she could understand. But in a sense, it only made her decision easier.  
  
"Well...tonight's pretty much like any other night. La Resistance is challenging for the tag titles, so Tommy and Raven, be ready. Beulah and Francine, I'm gonna work it so that you two will hopefully be allowed at ringside. Nathan Jones and Brock Lesnar never officially left Smackdown, so it's highly unlikely that they'll be here tonight. I'm hoping, anyway, that last night was a one-shot contract deal between them and Evolution. Either way, Evolution won't be here tonight unless they come in late, for obvious reasons. Oh, and Dawn Marie, Bischoff put you in a lingerie match against Terri Runnels. Sorry, I couldn't get him to change it, but it's not like it'll take long for you to beat her, anyway."  
  
"Though, you know, if you won't to take your time in ending the match, go ahead," Lance reassured her, and got a playful slap as a result.  
  
"?Tienes un juego esta noche, querida?" Rey questioned, his eyes directly at hers.  
  
"No, Rey," she answered a little unsteadily. "I don't have a match for tonight. I'll just be around back here."  
  
He nodded, his eyes bitter with disappointment and Lita realized in a panic, "He knows."  
  
"Okay, so if everyone wants to get ready, we should be going on air in about five," she announced. "I'll see y'all later," she said a little quietly, but in the chaos of preparation, no one really noticed.  
  
Rey caught up with her out in the parking lot. "Lita, don't do this."  
  
"Don't try to talk me out of it Rey. I know what I have to do."  
  
"No nos salgas," he begged, tears springing to his eyes. "Por favor...no salgas."  
  
"I have to leave, Rey," she tried to explain, her own eyes brimming with tears as well. "I can't handle it anymore. It's too much responsibility. I don't want this; I never really did. I don't want to be in charge. I don't want to be the one making the decisions that affect everyone else. It's all out of my control now."  
  
"Stay anyway!" he suggested. "Just stay as part of the team. You don't have to be the leader."  
  
"You know that won't work, Rey," she quietly argued. "You know that once I was seen as the leader, that was it. Whether I want it or not, that's how I'm viewed now. I just need to get away for a while."  
  
"Away from us."  
  
"Yes. Away from all of you."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I love you all too much."  
  
"Eso es el mas chengado...."  
  
"But you know it's true." He said nothing. Lita sighed and rested against him, and he wrapped his arms around her tightly. "Tell them I love them. Try to make them understand."  
  
"I will, querida." He kissed her forehead. "Take care of yourself. Ten cuidado."  
  
"I will." She raised her head and looked into his eyes. Lita nodded.  
  
Shouldering her gymbag, she walked across the parking lot to her rental car. Without one backward glance, she walked out of their lives.  
  
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No, this is not where the story ends. (Even I am not that cruel.) This is just part of a new direction. Things will all eventually work out, I think. Like one of my favorite songs says, "Don't expect too much from me and you might not be let down." ("Hey Jealousy" by the Gin Blossoms) 


	45. Chapter 44

Okay, so this is where things really start getting different. I'm just writing this story as I see it, and I can't help whether or not the readers like the outcome. So sue me; I'm not making any money off of this anyway.  
  
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Lita walked timidly through the dark corriders of the backstage arena. Various stagehands, big men, and scantily clad women bustled past her. No friendly or familiar face was visible. So this was Smackdown.  
  
She turned a corner and nearly ran headlong into Albert. He sneered and pushed past her on his way. She walked on a little more, looking everywhere for the women's locker room. She felt small and unwelcome, like a child that had snuck into a bar. In that same vein, she was wondering what the hell she was doing here.  
  
Totally unsure of where she was going (due Smackdown's different backstage layout), Lita hit a dead end. Seeing a door in one of its corners, she pulled it open and walked through, deciding to take the stairway back to the parking lot and just start over, or perhaps even ask for directions, if she got really desperate.  
  
She was to the next landing down when the door above her slammed open. She ducked down immediately, peeking up through the railing at the scene above her.  
  
Johnny Stamboli had Billy Kidman by the collar up against the wall. "You still owe us money."  
  
"Yeah, I've got it, I just need a few more weeks..."  
  
"You don't have a few more weeks," Chuck Palumbo warned him. "We made the hit on your pretty little ex-girlfriend's new guy, and now you've gotta pay us the full amount."  
  
"Maven's leg had already been broken once; it couldn't have been that hard to reinjure it."  
  
"Then why didn't you do it yourself?" Nunzio asked. "Right, because you couldn't have made it look like an accident. That's why we're professionals. Now listen to me. We need our money in one week, no less. Unless you wanna learn how to wrestle without knee caps." He snapped his fingers. With one last menacing glare for effect, Stamboli dropped him. Kidman skittered through the door and away.  
  
"Glad that's over," Nunzio commented, lighting up a cigarette. "Now we can go have our meeting with Jones about burying the Deadman...Oh, sh*t." His lighter slipped from his fingers and tumbled a few steps, landing a little ways down."  
  
He bent down for it. Lita held her breath. If he so much as moved his eyes to the side, he'd see her.  
  
His fingers brushed over the lighter, grasped it. Lita exhaled a sigh of relief. His head snapped towards her. Their eyes met, equal in panic.  
  
"Get her!"  
  
She flew, taking the stairs 3, 4 at a time, but her stride was no match for Chuck's. He reached out with his long arm, grabbed her gymbag, and she quickly shrugged it off her shoulder, escaping him and enabling herself to move a little faster.  
  
She jumped the railing of the last 6 stairs and landed on her feet, throwing open the basement door as she ran across the parking garage, the Full Blooded Italians right behind her.  
  
Lita wove among cars and equipment, hoping they wouldn't be able to circle her before she made her way back in the building. She looked over her shoulder.  
  
All three of them had stopped just a few feet behind her and were staring straight ahead. She herself stopped and faced them. They paid her no attention.  
  
Taking their disinterest as a blessing, Lita turned to walk away and bumped into something tall and solid. She looked up...up...  
  
The Undertaker ignored her, looking straight over her head back at the F.B.I. They shuffled away, in no shape to fight after the strenuous chase. Taker kept his eyes on them until they'd disappeared from sight. It was then that he looked down at Lita.  
  
"What are you doing here?"  
  
"N-nothing," she managed. "I was just looking for the women's locker room."  
  
"That's not what I meant. Why are you here? Period. I thought you had a pretty good thing going on Monday night."  
  
Her mind worked quickly, clicking things into place, examining every possibility. None of them looked good. "Here I am, on a show where I have no allies, much less friends. The first thing I accomplish (besides getting hopelessly lost) is overhearing a plot by the Smackdown hitmen which is geared at my best friend's brother/arch rival, who, incidentally, is the person who saves me from said hitmen, intentionally or not."  
  
"I-I switched shows," she stammered. He shrugged. "Fair enough. So what did you have those guys so pissed about?"  
  
She shrugged, and he chuckled a little. "Real talkative one, ain't ya? No wonder you and my brother get along so well."  
  
Lita swallowed the lump in her throat. Oh, this was bad. This potentially had very negative consequences.  
  
"Well, I gotta go...um..." She turned to make a quick retreat, and Taker's hand fell on her shoulder. Not hard, but enough to show her that if she tried to pull away, she couldn't. She turned slowly back to face him.  
  
He peered down at her as if he was deciding something. "Women's locker room is back through those double doors and to the left," he finally said. "On the right side of that hall. Can't miss it."  
  
"Oh, um...thanks," she nodded and turned again to leave. "Why are you going that way?" he called.  
  
"I dropped my bag back there," she answered, looking back a little but keeping on walking. With a few long strides he'd caught up to her. "No sense in you going back this way by yourself after that little run-in you just had."  
  
"Why do you care?" she asked, and snapped her mouth shut. "My stupid big mouth..." she thought.  
  
His sharp green eyes glared down at her. "I'm not the bad guy you've been made to believe I am," he said quietly.  
  
"Maybe not, but I'm stupid enough to think that you give a sh*t about me," she contested.  
  
"No, I don't," he replied candidly.  
  
"So what do you want?"  
  
"I want Kane's forgiveness."  
  
"I can't grant that." She picked up her gym bag and started to walk away. He grabbed her arm, more roughly this time.  
  
"No, but you can help me get it. Or at least help me to make him listen."  
  
"Forget it."  
  
The Undertaker pushed her back against the wall, arms held to her sides. He wasn't hurting her, it was merely a show of power. "This is almost worse than Triple H or Orton, though," Lita reasoned. "It's intimidating how much control he has. He's not going to get frustrated and make a mistake, and I can't fool him into thinking I'm not scared. He'll see right through it." She glared back up at him, just the same. He merely smirked.  
  
"Little girl, you're lucky I'm not pissed with my baby brother right now. I could certainly use you to hurt him. As it is right now, you'll just make some fine bait."  
  
"What do you want?"  
  
"I told you. Forgiveness."  
  
"And how do you think you're gonna get that?"  
  
"Well you've made it pretty easy for me. For whatever reason in that pretty little head of yours, you decided to leave everything you had going for you behind and run away to Smackdown. Now you've got a bunch of big, scary guys here mad at you, and no one to help you out at all."  
  
"Dave's here. We parted on pretty good terms. And what do you mean, a 'bunch' of big scary guys? The only ones I'm aware of are in the F.B.I."  
  
"You should have done better research before you jumped ship. Your buddy Batista went and tore his ACL two days ago, so he's out for some time. And Nathan Jones and Brock Lesnar never actually went to RAW; they were just doing some contract work for Evolution. So right now the odds are stacked against you."  
  
"I suppose that's where you come in?"  
  
"Smart girl. So since you're here, poor little damsel in distress, all alone, I'm gonna take pity on you and look after my baby brother's girl."  
  
"I don't need anyone to look after me." Lita pushed him hard in the chest, catching him by surprise and giving her time and space enough to slip away from him. "And you're only gonna piss Kane off more. He's very possessive. And another thing...I'm not his girl."  
  
"You believe that even less than I do. Besides, I know you can't say no to the assistance. You need it too badly. It's not like you could get rid of me even if you tried."  
  
He turned to walk away, and turned back after a few steps to add one reminder. "You're not queen of this show. You don't have a small army at your beck-and-call. You're nobody here. The sooner you can remember that, the easier it'll be for you."  
  
He walked off again, leaving Lita to heave up her gym bag and head toward locker room on her own.  
  
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Told you it was getting weird. 


	46. Chapter 45

Spring Break was nice, but I've been away from this story for far too long, and it's kinda beating around in my head.  
  
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Lita's match with Shaniqua went fairly well. The girl was a lot more athletic than her lean figure gave indication to, but she was still fairly green, and had made a crucial rookie mistake when she turned to play to the audience and left her back exposed to Lita. A reverse twist-of-fate, and it was over.  
  
Lita stayed under the hot water of the shower for a long time after her match. Of course, she had no real desire to return to the dark unfamiliarity of backstage Smackdown, but she also had a lot on her mind. In two nights, when Smackdown aired, her boys would know where she was. She trusted that most of them would leave her alone for a while. Rey was her friend and probably understood her best, so he'd leave her well enough alone. Spike and his brothers would be too pissed and too hurt to come. Tommy and Raven had their girlfriends to focus on, as did Lance, and Justin wouldn't go anywhere without him. Stevie would remain distant and non-confrontational as always.  
  
...But Kane. She could always rely on Kane to surprise her; it made him dependable in his own way. He might come for her, especially if he knew his brother was throwing himself into the mix. Kane still loved the Taker, but love was not the same as trust, and he was fiercely protective when it came to Lita. She leaned her head forward against the tile and simply let the water wash over her, as if by cleansing her body she could clear her mind as well. It wasn't working too well.  
  
She finished her shower, dried off, and got dressed. Best to get out of here before the show ended and the flood of people were all trying to leave at once.  
  
She shouldered her gymbag and stepped out the door, into Nathan Jones.  
  
He sneered down at her. She normally liked Australian accents, but his was menacing.  
  
"What do we have here? Did you miss me, sheila, and decide to come join us?"  
  
"Yeah, I missed kicking your ass. It was so much fun the first time, I just had to come back for seconds. Did that knot on your head ever go down?"  
  
He leaned in close to her. "You aren't holding a chair right now, are you? Nor do you have a dozen of your little friends to back you up. You're all alone."  
  
"No, she isn't." Taker stood impossibly tall a few feet behind them, arms crossed. Though his arms were threatening, his voice never rose above a low, unwavering calm. "Now get out of here, kid, or I'll give you an even bigger beating than the little girl did."  
  
Jones turned to face him and made the disastrous mistake of trying to stare the Undertaker down. He only looked back, his eyes revealing nothing. To Lita he appeared not to move, not to blink, hell, she wasn't even sure he was breathing. Jones shrugged and walked away, slowly enough so it didn't look like his tail was between his legs. Lita glared up at Taker.  
  
"Stop doing that."  
  
He shook his head. "You really are impossible."  
  
"Yeah, so?"  
  
"Would you stop being such a f*cking idiot and actually let me help you?"  
  
The wrath in his voice made her jump. As unnerving as it was, she almost wished he was still being cold and quiet. She wasn't used to seeing him enraged. "Better the devil you know," she thought.  
  
"How am I being an idiot?"  
  
"I didn't say you were being an idiot; I said you were being a f*cking idiot. And if you don't realize how you're acting, then perhaps you're already too far gone." She stared at him patiently. He sighed. "Fine, I'll explain it to you."  
  
"You're all talk and bravado. That worked on Raw, for two reasons. One, you could back it up. Here, you can't. Two, the enemies you dealt with on Raw really hated you and wanted to hurt you. Here, no one really cares. There are no Evolutions on this show, just your everyday, run-of-the-mill criminals. No one here holds a real grudge. On Raw, Triple H or one of his little lackeys would devise some long, complicated scheme to make you all as miserable as possible, but it gave you time to always find a way to weasel out of it. Here, it's shoot first, ask questions later. The bad guys here will just take you out and get you out of their way as quickly as possible."  
  
Despite the harsh truth of his words (and the shock at hearing him actually talk for this long), Lita still found her voice to argue back. "Look, I don't have it as easy as you. I can't just walk around and have everyone be intimidated by my presence. Talk and bravado are all I have to stand on."  
  
He shook his head. "You think it's my size that scares people? Look at Test; he's 6'8". You don't see a lot of people cowering in front of him."  
  
"Yeah, but Test is an idiot. He's always running... his... mouth..." She sighed. "Okay, whatever, I get it. You win. From now on, I'll just shut up before people beat the crap out of me, is that what you want?"  
  
"No."  
  
She waited for him to continue. He did have a point about this whole "less is more", silence, thing. It was creepy as hell.  
  
"Well, then what do you want?"  
  
"I want you to let me help. I explained that before. And you should know, I rarely even speak to people this much, and I never offer my protection."  
  
"I would ask, 'Why me?', but I know the answer. You really think you can use me to make Kane forgive you."  
  
"Don't look at it as me using you. Look at it as an exchange of favors."  
  
Lita shouldered her gymbag again, shaking her long red locks out to avoid getting them caught in the straps. "Thanks, but no thanks. You've dug your own hole." She'd almost said "grave", but changed her choice of words at the last second. He might think it was a callous reference to Kane's infamous interference at the Buried Alive match.  
  
He raised an eyebrow at her. She didn't expect him to say anything, and she was right, so she continued.  
  
"You said that the guys on this show would just as soon have me out of the way as hold a grudge. Well, if I'm really as pathetic as you make me out to be, I have nothing to fear. I'm no danger to any of them, so there's no reason for anyone to take me out." She blocked from thought the fact that, in one night, she'd already pissed off the F.B.I., made Jones hate her even more, and that Lesnar was still somewhere lurking about. Evolution might still be paying the two big men to take her out. Not pleasant stuff to dwell on.  
  
"I don't want your protection," she stated finally, and turned to leave.  
  
"No," Taker whispered as she walked out. "But you're gonna need it."  
  
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By 10:00 Thursday night, Lita had about two dozen messages on her voicemail. Half of them were for Rob.  
  
She went to sleep early that night, listening to the messages, but not answering them. They all had the same theme, anyway. "Why?"  
  
She thought it would be best to wait until she had a real answer to that question before she called back.  
  
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The next Tuesday night came too quickly. Lita wasn't used to dreading going to work. It had just been another day of the week, before, another chance to be with her friends. Now she felt herself growing dizzy with a tension headache.  
  
"I left Raw to get away from the stress of responsibility," she muttered as she crunched two extra-strength Advils. "Now I have to deal with the stress of possibly getting the crap beaten out of me." She paused thoughtfully. "All things considered, it's still better to just worry about myself for once, instead of a dozen other people."  
  
She got to the arena early, hoping to reach the lockerroom quickly and avoid any further confrontations. She changed into her ring attire and sat on a bench in the corner, absorbed in her own thoughts.  
  
She missed Kane. She had expected that, had known she would miss them all, but she hadn't thought it would be this bad. She missed him so much that her chest was tight with the ache of it. If she so much as breathed in too deeply, the air would come out in a sob and she would start to wail.  
  
The other divas were starting to file into the room. Lita composed herself. They were all ignoring her, anyway. "It really is tough to be the new girl," she thought. "Oh well, I wasn't really interested in being great pals with Torrie Wilson, anyway."  
  
The stagehand peeked his head in to inform them of their matches. She wouldn't be wrestling. Sh*t. All dressed up, no one to fight.  
  
Lita sighed and changed slowly back into her street clothes. At least she could get out of here early tonight.  
  
Her loyal gymbag by her side, she made her way to the exit. Matt was leaning in a corner almost in front of her path. "What are you doing here?" he spat.  
  
Remembering Taker's advice (but still not liking it), she bit her tongue and continued walking. Her old boyfriend, most recent traitor stalked up to here. "What, you ran out of guys on Raw to screw? Got bored and had to move on?"  
  
She turned to face him slowly. She tried to lower her voice, speak calmly and slowly, but to her, it just sounded like she had a cold. "You're the only thing boring me right now."  
  
"What did you say?" He grabbed her shoulder roughly. She was intimidated for a moment, but swallowed it down. She slowly turned her head to look down at his hand, and then, just as slowly, returned her eyes to his face. The silence stretched out as she said nothing.  
  
Matt blinked, and swallowed hard, stepping back. "I don't want to ever see your face again, slut," he choked out as he walked away.  
  
Lita held the pose until he was out of sight, and then relaxed her shoulders, allowing herself to smile a bit, and rejoice in her victory.  
  
Taker's voice floated from just behind her shoulder. "You ruined the effect by giggling, just then."  
  
She spun around. She hadn't even heard him come up.  
  
He stared down at her, his face set in stone, but she could tell by his eyes that he was laughing.  
  
"Fine, your advice worked, but don't expect me to hand over your brother's head on a silver platter in exchange for it."  
  
"I don't need his head," he responded quietly. "His heart's standing right in front of me."  
  
Lita bit her lip. "Shut up, okay?" she whispered, her eyes brimming with tears. "I came here to get away from all of that. You don't have to keep throwing it in my face."  
  
His composure broke a bit. She was glad to see that he was still human, that, if nothing else, her tears could get through to him. "He really is like Kane in so many ways," she thought, and the thought brought a fresh pang of remembrance and longing. Her tears began to flow more freely.  
  
"Hey, stop that," the Undertaker whispered, voice gruff. He glanced away uncomfortably, and actually began to fidget. The more human he acted, the more he reminded her of her Kane, whom everyone had thought a monster. "And I've only betrayed him again," she berated herself, beginning to sob a little now.  
  
"Come on, quit it," the Taker patted her shoulder awkwardly. He seemed to make a decision to himself, and picked up her gymbag. "Come with me. Really. I have to tell you something. Maybe you'll believe me."  
  
"I doubt it," she sniffled, wiping at her running nose. "But right now, I just don't care. I want to get out of here." Her voice sounded so forlorn and miserable that his shoulders dropped. "I really am very sorry for all of this," he said quietly.  
  
"No talking yet. Let's just get out of here before anybody else sees me like this."  
  
"Fair enough."  
  
Not really walking close enough to appear to be together, they left the arena.  
  
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I could have written a lot more, but I figured I'd save a little for the next chapter. I can't help it. This story has pretty much been writing itself, and it hurts to stop letting it out. Kinda hard to explain, but since most of y'all are writers, I think you know what I mean. 


	47. Chapter 46

I tried to restrain myself, but I just had to keep writing. I know I just updated, but I can't help it. The story's moving faster than my fingers can type. So here I am, at home when I normally only write on my laptop at school, but I'm writing anyway. Curse my overactive imagination.  
  
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"I wanna wake up where you are. I won't say anything..."  
  
Lita turned the radio off with a snap. She'd been listening to it on the way to the arena and it had come on when Taker started the car. Given her emotional state, they agreed it'd be best if he drove. It was one of the few things they'd agreed on in Lita's brief time on Smackdown.  
  
The silence stretched out to the point of awkwardness. Lita gazed out the window, her cheek resting on her hand. The Undertaker stared straight ahead, eyes on the road.  
  
"So...what did you want to talk to me about?"  
  
"You've stopped crying."  
  
"Yeah, even we weak little females can't cry forever."  
  
He sighed and popped his neck to one side, then fixed those ethereal green eyes on her. "It was merely an observation. If we were going to talk, I wanted you to be coherent."  
  
"Fine, I'm coherent. So talk."  
  
"Are you intentionally difficult?"  
  
"An inherent trait. Not my fault."  
  
He rolled his eyes. "I'm sure."  
  
That silence unfurled itself again. This strong, silent type crap was starting to get on Lita's nerves. "Look, just say what you've got to say so I can get back to the hotel."  
  
He startled her by beginning with a question. "Why did you switch shows? The truth."  
  
She stared at him for a while without answering. Two could play this game.  
  
"I wanted to start brand new," she said softly.  
  
He nodded as if he had expected this. "So if you're starting over, then why do you keep acting the same way, making the same mistakes, as you did before?"  
  
She snorted. "I guess I'm just incorrigible."  
  
"I mean, why not...reinvent yourself? Become someone else all together?"  
  
"And who would you have me be?"  
  
Taker looked at her with a seriousness that was almost desperation. "Whoever you want to be. You, but a better version of you."  
  
"So...what's the catch? There has to be some price to pay."  
  
He shook his head. "No catch. At least not if you're careful."  
  
Lita leaned across the seat towards him. "You weren't careful, were you? What did it cost you?"  
  
Taker looked back at her. "Kane's the only family I have left. Please help me hold onto him."  
  
"Only family...?" She crooked an eyebrow up at him. "What about Sara? The baby?"  
  
He squeezed his eyes shut for a second in pain, and when they opened, they were shiny with tears. "That part of me is dead now."  
  
"Is that what you killed? The sacrifice you made to be who you are now?"  
  
He shook his head. "You don't understand. I thought I could have it both ways, be both Mark and the Undertaker."  
  
"What happened?" she almost whispered. It was fascinating and terrible to see him open up like this, to become vulnerable. If he could hurt like this, then truly no one was invincible.  
  
"When Sara was pregnant, it softened me. I couldn't be pissed at the world all the time when I knew I was about to become a daddy."  
  
His use of the word "daddy", particularly combined with the rough calmness of his voice caught Lita off-guard. If he started to weep, she had no idea what she would do.  
  
"Brock Lesnar noticed that, and decided to use it to his advantage. You probably remember the rest. Heyman threatening my wife, Brock spreading his hand over her stomach, and me lying there, powerless to stop them. I couldn't protect her, either of them. I failed them."  
  
Lita spoke slowly, carefully. "But they were both fine. Everything turned out okay."  
  
"Yeah, but no thanks to me. I couldn't face her after that, not really, knowing that, had the moment truly come, she would have been hurt because of me. Our child could have died because of me."  
  
He took a deep breath, and Lita realized just how much effort it was taking him to hold himself together. His narrative was like an acid, eating him from inside, and the retelling of it was even more painful.  
  
"So, though I didn't really kill Mark, he just died. Kinda faded away. And all that was left was the Undertaker, the Dead Man, the badass who cares for no one."  
  
"Not no one," Lita corrected him gently. "You still care about Kane. And you're using that to cling to your last shred of humanity. Something like that?"  
  
He nodded, and a corner of his mouth twitched up in something like a smile. "Yeah, something like that."  
  
"I'll help you," she assured him.  
  
"Thank you."  
  
The silence wrapped around them again, but this time it wasn't awkward or nervewracking. It was warm and peaceful. Lita thought of similar quiet moments she had spent with Kane, and her chest tightened again.  
  
She glanced over at the Undertaker, no longer Mark, but still Kane's big brother. Still someone who cared about the monster, possibly even more than she herself did. For that alone, she could find it in herself to help him.  
  
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Yeah, I know, kinda dark now, huh? Don't worry, it should start getting fun again (eventually). I'm setting up a lot of plot right now, so I can't really promise a lot of humor any time soon, but don't worry, there will be more. It may just be a little darker than usual. 


	48. Chapter 47

Woohoo! Action starting to pick back up again!  
  
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A month and a half had past. Heads snapped to attention all over the Smackdown arena as the unfamiliar theme music started up.  
  
"See these eyes so green. I can stare for a thousand years. Colder than the moon. It's been so long..."  
  
A dark figure was silhouetted at the top of the ramp. The low ominous music gathered speed, built up to a roar.  
  
"...And I've been putting out the fire with gasoline..."  
  
The lights came up. Throbbing with the energy of the music she raced to the ring without looking hurried. She slid onto the canvas and whirled around, surveying the stunned audience. Her long, black leather coat, with it's blood-red rendition of angels wings on the back, twirled with her.  
  
She was still wearing the same black boots, not only because they matched the outfit, but also because good wrestling boots that fit well were hard to come by. Other than the footwear (which she now tied with red laces), her attire had transformed into something that could be described as biker chick-meets-dominatrix... from hell.  
  
The black vinyl shorts ("More hotpants than shorts," Lita corrected herself) really looked like leather, and were more confining than she was used to, but were still thin enough to not restrict movement and to be comfortable. The halter top was black vinyl as well and exposed a lot more skin than she was fully comfortable with. At least she was still wearing the coat... for right now.  
  
Her accesories almost made up for having to bare so much skin. Red vinyl glovelets, the kind that fit over the middle finger almost like a ring and come to a point at the top of the hands, hugged her arms all the way up to the elbow. A black ribbon choker was around her neck, with an intriguing black symbol dangling from it. Upon closer inspection, Michael Cole noted with a yelp that it was the Undertaker's old Ministry of Darkness symbol.  
  
Lita's hair was pulled lightly back in a black ribbon, which softened the look slightly. It made her face look younger and even prettier, a startling contrast to her attire.  
  
She took off her coat and handed it to a stagehand and stood waiting, arms crossed in the middle of the ring, for her opponent. From the corner of her vision, she inconspicuously eyed the microphone. She was tempted to pick it up, taunt her opponent, eat away at the silence, but she stood her ground. She knew better now.  
  
Matt's music hit. He appeared dazed as he walked slowly to the ring, not even playing for the crowd or flashing his "Version 1.0" symbol. He paused as he climbed through the ropes, apparently not wanting to get any closer to her. Her face was a blank mask as she stared into his eyes.  
  
"What happened to you? You're not Lita..." he shook his head in confusion. "What's going on?"  
  
She turned a deaf ear to his pleas for explanation. "You asked for this match," she said quietly. "Now get in the ring and let's finish this."  
  
They locked up, and he shoved her away easily. She rolled to her feet in an instant, staring him down, ready for more. Fighting the former cruiserweight champion wasn't as difficult as she'd imagined. For one thing, familiarity may breed contempt, but it also had given her a hand up in knowing all his moves, what to expect him to do next. It made him almost laughably easy to counter. To both Matt and everyone else watching, it appeared as though she wasn't even trying.  
  
She had him from behind in a camel clutch. Her small framed actually worked to her advantage in that it was easy to avoid his arms as he reached back to try to pull her off him. His hand was raised. Any second now, he would tap.  
  
Lita heard the crash of the chair hitting and almost had time to wonder what it was before the pain exploded in her back a split second later. "That little MFer..." she thought, and turned to discover just how accurate her description was. Shannon Moore stared at her with wide eyes as she struggled stubbornly to her feet. Being pissed off was more motivational than being in pain was debilitating, apparently.  
  
Shannon dropped the chair and turned to run, but she jerked his ponytail and he lost his footing, falling hard to the mat. But the distraction had cost her.  
  
Matt grabbed her from behind and had hit her with a twist-of-fate before she could even understand what was happening. Sure she'd won the match via disqualification, but now she was stunned, sore, half-unconscious, and lying in the ring with two guys who hated her guts. The victory seemed a trifle insignificant at the moment.  
  
Matt picked up the chair that his follower had dropped. Lita struggled herself to a sitting position, but could not find the strength to stand, no matter how hard she tried. Unless she was going to be able to crawl really fast, this was going to turn out ugly.  
  
She lifted her head. Matt was facing the announcer's table, his back to the backstage area. Behind him, she could see Taker bursting through the curtain to come down the ramp. He would still never make it in time.  
  
Matt raised the chair. The lights in the arena went out.  
  
Darkness prevailed for a few moments until it was shattered by a burst of pyrotechnics from the turnbuckles.  
  
Matt looked up. Kane stood in front of him.  
  
He chokeslammed the smaller man so quickly, it was almost merciful. Though, from her position still crumpled on the mat, nothing about the way Matt's bodied thudded against the canvas sounded merciful. Well, not merciful for him, anyway.  
  
Kane lifted her gently to her feet. To the audience, it would look like a quick, callous motion, done without thought or care. But as Lita looked up at him, his hands on her arms were as light as the touch of butterfly's wings.  
  
Still trying to maintain her tough demeanor, she stared up at him, only her eyes open and searching. He looked blankly back down, revealing nothing.  
  
Taker stood at the edge of the ring, watching them. Lita turned to look at him for advice, and he gave a nearly invisible shrug, so tiny only she could catch it, or even think to look for it. "Of course, Kane's his brother, so he might know it for what it is," she thought.  
  
Glancing back at said Kane, she backed towards the ropes and, grabbing the top one, backflipped out over them. If he felt anything at seeing her rip off his move, he gave no sign of it. He remained frozen as she and his older brother left for backstage, and didn't move until they were out of sight.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Taker and she stared at each other in the lockerroom. She was leaning, one hand on the bench, as he helped her hold an icepack to her back. "What the hell was that about?" she asked. He shrugged again. "You're his brother. You oughtta know something." "You're the chick he's in love with," Taker reminded, his eyes glinting with a trace of a smile at the rise he was getting out of her.  
  
Someone knocked at the door. The two glanced at each other warily.  
  
"I'm in no mood to get ambushed today, how about you?" Lita muttered.  
  
Taker shook his head. "Not without better back-up."  
  
Lita gritted her teeth and let the comment slide. The more she argued back, the more he antagonized her. It appeared she was his only real source of amusement. Sad for him.  
  
"Who is it?" she called to whoever was at the door.  
  
There was a pause before the answer. "Me."  
  
No mistaking that voice. She looked at Taker and they both nodded. He handed her the icepack and went to answer the door. Kane stepped in.  
  
Seeing Lita tending an injury, he immediately dropped to a knee in front of her. "Are you all right? I couldn't get here any sooner."  
  
"Wait...what's going on?" she asked. He shook his head, confused. "What do you mean?"  
  
"You acted like you didn't know me out there in the ring. So...what's going on?"  
  
He looked hurt. "I thought we were saving face."  
  
She had to laugh at that. He sounded so much like a child when he said it, but it made sense. "Okay, glad to know that's the reason. I thought you hated me."  
  
He chuckled a little himself, then. "Of course not. I'm sorry for confusing you."  
  
"It's all right." She stood to her feet, grimacing slightly. The ice had only helped so much.  
  
Kane rose with her. "Is it bad?"  
  
She shook her head. "I'm fine."  
  
He laid his hand against her cheek, softly forcing her to look at him. "You always say that."  
  
She smiled and, ignoring the pain in her back, reached up to hug him. He carefully wrapped his arms around her, hands resting lightly where she'd been hit.  
  
"I missed you," she whispered, smiling.  
  
"I missed *you*," he murmured into her hair.  
  
They both pulled back, but not away, faces turning serious as they stared into each others' eyes. Taker cleared his throat. They both snapped their heads in his direction, having temporarily forgotten his presence.  
  
"I hate to interrupt this tender reunion, but I believe the three of us have a lot we need to discuss."  
  
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:humming to herself: I'm glad I get to put something happy in this story again. Don't worry, in the upcoming chapters I'll be explaining what's happened in the story in the past six weeks. I hope y'all like what's going on so far. I know it's a far cry from where we started, but I promise, all things circle round. Much thanks to y'all who have been reviewing. 


	49. Author's Note

Wow. 250 reviews. I never thought I'd see the day. Anyway, I'd decided that, if I hit 250, I'd post another little author's note just to update you on what's going through my head when I write this stuff. First, to answer some questions that might be on some people's minds.  
  
1) Who is Lita going to end up with?  
  
I have no friggin' clue. Honestly. I never begin a story with an actual plot in mind. It just kinda goes on its own. Lita will tell me who she's supposed to be with once she's figured it out for herself. I guess that might sound crazy to some of you, but since most of you are writers, I think you'll understand what I mean when I say that the characters can talk to you. Not audibly, but you often have a fairly good idea of what your characters want and will do. Call it writer's clairvoyance.  
  
2) Will the ECW crew be back?  
  
Most assuredly, yes. The story will never be fully resolved without those guys making some sort of reappearance. It wouldn't make sense. (My Raven muse has been rambling in my head again. "What about me? What about Raven?" "I'll fit you back in there as soon as I can, buddy. But right now, you're on Raw, so just shaddup!")  
  
3) Would you mind if I wrote my own ECW story?  
  
Just because I was one of the only people writing about ECW when I first started this a few months ago, I in no way am sole proprietor of that privelage. ECW belongs to itself and will continue forever. Much thanks to those of you who e-mailed or IMed me to ask if I would mind you writing an ECW story with similar plotlines. I thought that was marvelously considerate, but in no way should anyone feel obligated to do such. The only time I'll get ticked is if someone blatantly rips off my plot. Kinda like how WWE was doing a little while back, but that was obviously just hilarious coincidence. Everyone knows wrestlers don't read fan-fics. ; )  
  
4) How long is this story going to be?  
  
See answer to question number one.  
  
So, that's basically the gist of things. Thanks for those of you who have stuck around even though this story's getting a little nuts. (I myself am a bit intimidated by how much of it is starting to mimic incidents in my real life... Like how I wrote this chapter about Kane coming back right when my best friend, who's been in college halfway across the country, comes back. As in, I got to see him for the first time in months last night. Yep, art imitating life, all right.) If anyone has any questions that weren't answered, contacting me is pretty easy. CourtBarb@aol.com, same name for AIM. (That's an annoying little rhyme.) Of course, there's always the review button as well. 


	50. Chapter 48

Yeah, my pace has been a little manic as of late... Sorry about that.  
  
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The silent trio walked into the hotel bar. It was mostly empty; St. Louis was pulsing with nightlife, and most of the party animals were probably at the clubs along the waterfront. That, and Tuesday wasn't exactly a popular night of the week for the locals to stay out late.  
  
Lita sat down at the bar and the brothers flanked her: Kane on her left, and the Undertaker on her right. Taker ordered a beer and sipped at it. Kane ordered a Scotch but didn't drink from it, instead staring down, twirling the glass idly. The bartender looked to Lita and she shook her head, not bothering to look up at the woman. Taker glanced down at her.  
  
"No warm milk and honey, then?"  
  
Kane looked up at his brother and Lita tried to read the emotions across his face. The only one she could truly discern was jealousy, which was a bad sign. She had, after all, disappeared with his brother for a little less than two months, and the tiny detail that he knew her drink order had been a scathing reminder of that. She decided to ignore both of them: Kane's jealousy, and Taker's callousness.  
  
"No, Taker, I'm hoping I won't need it tonight." All was quiet again. They were supposed to be talking things over. But there was too much to say, and no words to say it. If they tried to simplify things, it would only make them worse. This silence wasn't working, either, only providing enough awkwardness to emphasis how complicated the situation was.  
  
"F*ck it," Lita whispered. "The three of us aren't going to accomplish anything. I'm going upstairs. You two duke it out as you like."  
  
She pushed away from the bar and hopped down angrily, not really stomping her way to the elevator, but making her emotions clear all the same. Stomping was childish, and besides, it hurt her back too much to take anything but mincing steps right now. It looked feminine and pathetic as hell, but fortunately no one in the lobby was interested in wrestling her. She didn't have to be too tough right now.  
  
Lita got on the elevator and pushed the button harder than was necessary, glad there was no one accompanying her on the short trip to the top of the building. She was mad, frustrated, and above all, scared. Kane was with her again, but he was no doubt pissed at her choice of teammates, and she couldn't imagine how ugly it was getting down in the bar, even if words were all that was exchanged. That was the bad thing about the two men being so quiet. They could argue until there was nothing left in them but hatred for each other, and still not cause a scene.  
  
Once back to the room, she stripped down and stepped into the shower, running the water a little hotter than usual. She was tired, and it was soothing on her sore back, and the steam was relaxing, taking her mind away from the scene playing out several floors below her. What would happen between them would happen. If she was there, it was only going to get nastier.  
  
She turned the water off and pulled open the curtain. No towels left. Damn.  
  
With the water off, she could hear sounds again from the room. There was the muted background noise of the television, and a strange hush that she recognized too easily. They had heard the shower turn off and had stopped talking so she couldn't eavesdrop.  
  
She hated to ruin this mysterious, intense moment, but there were minor problems that were currently more pressing.  
  
"Um, you think someone could hand me a towel?"  
  
She pulled the curtain closed again. It was one of those spectacularly practical ones, both pretty and dark, the kind that not even a silhouette would show through. Someone knocked at the door and she yelled, "It's okay." She heard the muffled thud of the folded fabric hitting the counter, and the door closing tight again. Good.  
  
Lita stepped out of the shower, not caring that she was dripping water all over the bathroom floor. One of the guys might come in and slip and break his neck later, but so be it. She was still fairly pissed.  
  
She wrapped herself up in the big terrycloth robe that Taker had thrown in and combed her hair out. The hairdryer was out in the room, but she didn't feel like messing with it right now, anyway. If she started the noise back up, the guys could keep talking behind her back.  
  
Double-checking the knotted sash to make sure the robe wasn't going anywhere, Lita walked out, head slightly tilted as she rubbed at her wet hair with the spare towel. She tried to sound casual as she asked, "Did y'all work out what you needed to?"  
  
Kane glanced up at her, and his breath caught. Her face was scrubbed clean of make-up, and her hair clung in damp strands to her cheeks. The white cloth stood out against her skin, and with her hair dark with water, she was deep rose and gold.  
  
He turned his gaze back down, away from them both. He'd only glimpsed her for a second, but a blush crept to his face all the same. It was embarrassing and infuriating. He couldn't take it out on her, so he turned to the only other person present.  
  
"Have we worked everything out?"  
  
Taker's clear green eyes never left Lita's face. "We're not going to kill each other, if that's what you mean."  
  
She glared back at him, shaking her head. How could someone's eyes be so clear and still reveal so little? "That's reassuring, I suppose. But it's not enough."  
  
Kane spoke without raising his head. "You don't know what you're asking. I've tried to forgive, and I can't."  
  
"You can't forgive him or me?"  
  
He looked back up at her, quickly, and shied away again. "You've given me no reason to be angry with you. There's nothing to forgive."  
  
Lita sighed. It was such a typical statement for him. Others claimed Kane loved her, but she had her doubts. He'd said that he would die for her, and she believed that, but sacrifice was not the same thing as love. She would die to save a great many people, but that didn't mean she was in love with them. So she chose to believe the rumors were lies. Deep down, she knew it was nothing more than a weak shield she'd built to protect herself from the shame at what she'd put him through, but an ounce of prevention was worth a pound of cure, and she'd rather kid herself than deal with that much pain and guilt tonight.  
  
"Even if you're not angry, I'm sorry."  
  
"For leaving?"  
  
"For all of it," she said softly.  
  
"I'm not," he answered fiercely. "I'm not sorry for one second."  
  
He finally met her eyes, and they stared each other down, both silently willing the other to finally be honest, just tell the truth, and get it over with.  
  
"Taker?" Lita asked, her gaze not leaving Kane's.  
  
"Mm-hm?" he asked, as if startled. He'd been bespelled by their little two-actor drama as well.  
  
She looked at him pleadingly. "Could you give us a moment?"  
  
He left without a word, for which she was very grateful. Taker could be a thorn in her side, but he could be a rock to lean on when she needed him. His reliability was just another way he reminded her of Kane.  
  
Kane, who now sat before her questioningly. "Give me a second," she murmured and grabbed her gymbag, heading in the bathroom to change. When she came out, she was wearing warm-up pants and a baggy Attitude t-shirt, her hair dried and pulled back in a ponytail. "You wanna find somewhere better to talk?" she asked, and he merely nodded, following her meekly out the door.  
  
She led him to the elevator and pressed the button for the top floor. She could read the curiosity on his face, but he made no interrogations, only followed her as she walked to the stairwell door.  
  
Once in the stairwell, she headed over to a ladder on the side. It led up to a trapdoor.  
  
She climbed the ladder without an apparent second thought, pausing when she reached the top. He squinted up at her. "It's locked."  
  
Lita smiled down, and for him she was nothing less than an angel and the devil, there to save his life and steal his soul. She pulled a bobby pin from her pocket. "I've got talents no one knows," she teased.  
  
It only took her about thirty seconds to pick the padlock. She pushed the trapdoor open and crawled to the top. She looked down at him through the opening. "Coming?"  
  
Kane shook his head and crawled up after her. "Don't let the-" Lita managed as he closed the door. She bit her lip and tried to keep from giggling.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I was going to tell you to not let the door close. There's no handle on the outside of it."  
  
Kane looked back down in panic. She was right. They were locked out.  
  
Lita plopped down at the edge of the roof. "Hope it doesn't rain tonight," she commented lightly.  
  
Kane crawled over beside her, eyeing the ledge warily. "Don't get too close," he warned.  
  
She smiled. "I'll be fine."  
  
Quiet fell.  
  
"So..." she began.  
  
"So."  
  
She smiled, then laughed, and it turned into a sob, until she was hunched with her shoulders shaking and tears streamed down her face. Kane wrapped his arms around her, bewildered. She began to laugh again, and started sobbing harder, wiping at her eyes. "I'm sorry. You must think I'm crazy."  
  
Calling upon his great wisdom of language, Kane chose not to respond. In the time he'd spent with her, he'd learned it was normally the best answer to give an emotional woman.  
  
"It's just, I didn't realize how much I'd missed you until now. And now I'm afraid I'm going to lose you again."  
  
Kane pulled away from her. "Did you really miss me that much?" Kane asked carefully, voice neutral.  
  
His words stunned her like a verbal slap. "Kane... of course I did. How can you ask that? How can you be so blind?"  
  
"Blind?" he whirled to face her. "You're telling me about blind? What about you?"  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"I mean, are you physically blind? How can you have eyes that see and still look at me like that?"  
  
"Because," Lita took a deep breath and tried to ignore her racing heart. "You're beautiful."  
  
He shook his head in disgust. "Kane," she touched his cheek, turned him to face her. "If you're a monster, then I am no more than one either. I just wear a more nicely painted shell. But you..." her other hand reached out, lay delicately on top of his. "You're more human than anyone I've ever known."  
  
He moved suddenly, kissed her, a bare brushing of the lips. She didn't scream, didn't pull away, didn't push him away, only remained staring up at him through half-lidded eyes. He entwined one hand with hers, lay the other carefully against the small of her back, and kissed her again, more slowly. They broke apart, and Lita smiled, laying her head against his chest to listen to the great booming of his heart. He wrapped his arms around her, tucked his chin on top of her head. No words were said. No words were needed.  
  
It began to rain, which isn't even an accurate description of what happened. The sky seemed to open as water suddenly poured down on them in torrential sheets of rain. Lita raised her head from Kane's chest, looked into his eyes from only inches away.  
  
"It's freezing, and we're stuck out here. Will you keep me warm tonight?" The seemingly innocent question was asking for much more. It was asking for a promise.  
  
"I will, but not just for tonight," he countered.  
  
She bit her lip. "For the rest of my life, then?"  
  
He kissed her through the rain, faces streaming with water, his hand running through the locks of her drenched hair.  
  
"Yes."  
  
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Woah. If you didn't see that coming, well, neither did I. I was just picturing the scene in my head when it suddenly started storming. I was like, "Okay, then." I have no clue what's going to happen next. 


	51. Chapter 49

Hmm...methinks I'm getting too wrapped up in this story and I need to take a break from it for a while. Unfortunately, this sucker is way too therapeutic for me. I'd be writing it even if no one was reading, however, it's nice to know that other people are interested. The last chapter was actually my favorite so far. Oh, and since I didn't give credit before, the song that was playing on the radio when Taker and Lita were in the car is "Slide" by the Goo Goo Dolls. Lita's theme song is "Cat People" by David Bowie. Yeah, so I'm a Bowie fanatic. I can't help it. The lyrics of that song seemed to fit her.  
  
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Lita blinked awake, squinting at the harsh sun. A long shadow fell to protect her eyes. Taker.  
  
"Do I want to know?"  
  
Lita poked Kane's shoulder until he groggily sat up. "I think we're in trouble," she stage-whispered.  
  
"I didn't know where you were." The question could have been interpreted as for both of them, but Taker looked at Lita as he said it. "I'm sorry," she answered truthfully.  
  
He shrugged, but the relieved look wouldn't leave his eyes. "I knew that if you were with him, you were safe."  
  
She stared up at him with wide eyes, understanding just how much it had cost him to admit that. She wanted to say thank you, but it wouldn't be appropriate. Maybe if they'd been alone. She settled for stating the obvious. "You were right." Lita wrapped her arms around herself. The sun was out, but it was still barely morning, and she was soaked through from the storm the night before. Kane reached for her, but Taker leaned down first.  
  
"Here," he handed her his long, black coat, helping her wrap it around her shoulders.  
  
"Thanks."  
  
Taker finally looked at his brother. Neither spoke. "They must have some lovely family Thanksgiving dinners," Lita thought. "If I'm ever going to be part of this family, someone's going to have to learn to talk. Or I'll have to learn to shut up. Nope, not an option."  
  
Since she couldn't really respond to the silence, Lita chose to ignore. "Taker, how'd you know to look up here?"  
  
"When I woke up this morning and you still hadn't come back, I thought about how much you love the roof at the house. Since that's where we always go to talk, I thought that's where you would go this time, too. I was right."  
  
"Yeah, a mistake on my part," Lita responded, not letting that dreaded silence get it's foot in the door. She'd learned the value of a quick response with these two. "We got locked out. It rained cats and dogs."  
  
"Spoken like a true southerner," Taker commented, and she wished he would let himself truly smile. His face was set, but she'd come to recognize the tone of humor in his voice and the way his eyes crinkled at the corners.  
  
"Did you find what you were looking for, Taker?" Kane finally asked. Even if she found his jealousy unreasonable, Lita agreed with his impatience. They were soaking wet on the roof of a hotel, and the sooner they got back home, the longer their few days of break would seem.  
  
Taker looked at Lita, and the corner of his mouth curled up in the ghost of a grin. "More or less."  
  
Lita bit down a giggle. Kane wouldn't recognize the quote, but it was from the X-men sequel. After a couple weeks at the ranch in Texas she'd gotten Taker to loosen up a little and agree to doing stuff that normal people did, like going out to eat, sporting events, and more than anything, renting movies. The X-men movies had been one of the few things they'd both really liked, and she'd teased him relentlessly about his resemblance to the badass Wolverine. It figures that would come back to bite her at the least helpful moment.  
  
If looks could kill, then Kane would be guilty of first-degree murder. Lita wanted to tell Taker, "Don't bait him," but it would only make things worse, and he knew she was thinking it, anyway. This was his little way of getting back at her for disappearing on him. Fine, if this petty game was revenge for his concern, so be it.  
  
"If y'all want to have a little sibling staring contest on the roof all morning, go right ahead," she snapped. "I'm gonna go change into some dry clothes before we have to get back on the road."  
  
"That raises the question," Kane said lowly. "To where is the road you're getting back on leading?"  
  
Sh*t. She'd been staying in Texas at Taker's house the past couple of months. Kane being back through a cog in the works. There had to be a way to handle this diplomatically.  
  
Ah, hell, she was never good with diplomacy, anyway. One of them was going to be pissed. It might as well be the one with the better temper.  
  
"That depends. Where are you going, Kane?"  
  
Her answer caught them both by surprise. Kane was speechless. Taker, though he didn't change his stance nor raise his voice, was obviously incensed.  
  
"So, that's the way it is?" he gazed down at her. His look wasn't the green coldness she was used to seeing when he was angry. It was worse than that. He was hurt.  
  
"One night back with him, and you forget me so quickly? I thought I meant more than that, Li."  
  
Ooh, that stung. She blinked back tears at the pet name. She could deal with the Undertaker in all degrees of his anger, but hurting him...it was too much of a shock, more than she could handle.  
  
"I'm sorry, Taker. It's not like that."  
  
"What's it like, Lita?"  
  
"It's not that you don't mean anything. It's that I thought I didn't."  
  
He tilted his head as if he didn't quite believe her. "You were wrong."  
  
She sighed. Kane finally spoke up again, only his second sentence of the morning, quiet even by his standards.  
  
"It looks like we've got a problem then."  
  
Lita snapped her head to glare at him. Her voice was the purest ice. "You two do what you like. Have some epic battle on the roof overlooking the city, or decide on joint custody, or whatever, I don't care right now. I'm freezing, I'm tired, and I'm starting to feel like this will never be resolved. I'm going to go change. You two better both be alive when I get back. If I get here and only one is left, then I'm throwing him off the roof, too."  
  
She climbed down the ladder back into the hotel, slamming the trapdoor shut behind her.  
  
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Yeah, so I hate for things to be uncomplicated, apparently. I hope y'all enjoy the predicaments, as well. Review and let me know. Or don't. I can't force you. 


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